


I want you to look at me

by dunegrey



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe, Complete, F/F, Gen, Politics, Punk, Queer Themes, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-07 12:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14081361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dunegrey/pseuds/dunegrey
Summary: Asami swallowed, feeling nervous butterflies rising in her chest. She rolled the words around in her head before voicing them.“Listen, I was a jerk to Mako. I know it. Whatever he told you, it's probably right. But I’ve been trying to mature. I want you to understand that if we’re going to see each other.”Korra gave her an understanding smile. One that turned to playful at her realization.“Are we seeing each other now, then?”Asami blushed and glanced out to the harbor and the city lit up yellow, and turned to look Korra in the eyes.“Would you like to?”“Yeah, I would.”





	1. Just Like Them

**Author's Note:**

> content warning (for entire work): mild transphobia at various points, shitty abusive parents, swearing

The power outage had been going for an hour and the generators had broken down. The Dragon Flats community clinic had no power and with a riot brewing Asami was certain the clinic was going to be needed soon.

Of course, it didn’t help that the pro-Kuvira pro-annexation hooligans would certainly make another showing tonight if it did come to riots. Then anyone not of Earth Nation heritage would be targeted. Including her, but that was the least of her concern right now.

Dragon Flats was in a lowland near the bay, which meant that during the United Republic’s torrential rain season, it invariably flooded. That kept the property values low, which meant Republic City’s underclass tended to live there, for fear of skyrocketing rents in the city. It was also the first place to lose power in a peak usage hour.

Asami grimaced as a sprocket snapped in her hands.

It burned to know that the power usage spike was almost certainly coming from a Future Industries factory. But unless she wanted to add industrial sabotage onto the list of things she did to piss off her dad, there was nothing to be done about it. It was always the elephant in the room - her father was the leading industrial capitalist in the city - even the nation. How could she be a member of two very different worlds?

It would be enough if she could get the generator to work again.

She popped a belt back into place and gave a sigh. If she was lucky, that would be it. Wiping her brow with a greasy hand, she pulled the ignition cord and the beast roared to life. Lights inside flickered back on, and she heard some cries of joy. Without moments to lose, Asami closed up the machine block and set her makeshift tools aside.

The older metalbender who made those tools moments before clapped happily as Asami stood from a crouch.

“Impressive, as always Asami.” Suyin Beifong chimed. “Now there’s a riot brewing. I expect you won’t take me up on my offer, but there’s room in the family home if you want to rest and get out of the street.”

After Kuvira came to power the Metal Clan fled to Republic City, and Zaofu became the new capital of the Earth Nation. They weren’t the only political exiles in the city either. The world was changing. At least they were sympathetic to the people of Republic City - the same could not be said for the Fire Nation royals.

Asami shook her head as she wiped off her hands and threw on her heavy jacket.

“If those fascist punks show up again I want to be there.” she said. “People could get hurt.”

“Suit yourself. But be careful. And the offer stands.” the matronly woman offered. _When would she stop mothering me?_ Asami thought.

She waved at the doctor inside the clinic before stepping off into the cool evening. It would freeze tonight. She approached the gathering crowd, taking her place among the tough looking folks in black.

There were chants, but she didn’t feel like yelling her lungs out.

They were protesting outside the Future Industries company bank - an apt target for tonight’s trouble. Then the darkened buildings lit up with red and blue as coppers arrived down the street. A step above fascists, but not by too much.

A barricade was set as the police told people to calm down. It seemed like the fascists were not going to make a show tonight, which is all just as well considering what happened the last time they did. Folks had prepared.  

Minutes had gone by and peaceful chants continued. The police had formed a line but they weren’t brandishing weapons. Asami was hoping the peace would continue.

But as people continued agitating, the lights flickered on the other end of the street. Asami’s eyes widened. Cops on both ends of the street, and this was a peaceful protest too. A barricade over there was forming. They were trapped. The police had their riot shields out now, and were advancing on the crowd.

The moments after that went very quickly. There was a crash as the glass front of the bank shattered, and then a molotov was burning behind the police line. Then the cops surged forward. If there were any benders in the crowd, they kept a lid on it - the punishment for bending against the cops was much steeper than resisting arrest.

As far as Asami was concerned though, arrest was inevitable. Without a moment to lose, she rushed towards the bank, finding the smashed windows. Grimacing, she picked up the discarded bat. Looking left and right, she could see the police on the other side of the street. No escape. Kettled.

She sighed and stood outside the bank, bat in hand. At least she could take the fall for something. She turned to watch a trio of cops walk up the bank steps, batons in hand. She dropped the bat, put up her hands.  


-

 

 _Stupid stupid stupid_. Korra berated herself in her head. The guard led her deeper into the jail, somewhere in the bowels of the police station.

 _Of course I’d end up here. Tenzin is going to kill me._ She felt like a child awaiting punishment as they passed cells and the curious people within looked up at the passing Avatar.

 _Serves me right for trying to help. I should never have let that third one run to the car._ Korra played the scene over and over in her head, and the million things she could have done differently.

She sighed in frustration as they finally stopped in front of a cell. She heard snoring, but before she had a chance to look, the guard had spun her around as he removed the handcuffs.

Then she was standing in the small cell, alone with an unknown cell mate, and the guard was locking it. _I hate this. I hope Naga is alright..._

Korra tried to relax her stiff shoulders and turned around to face her snoring cellmate. The woman was laid out on the only bench in the room, leaving nowhere else to sit but the ground. She was wearing a thick black jacket covered with colorful patches and writing, and her black hair tumbled all over the place.

The woman shifted and the biggest patch on her shoulder immediately drew Korra’s eye.

“BITCH TRANSSEXUAL” and then below that patch another with only the word “FUCK.” Korra stared a little too long, wondering if there was any meaning beneath the surface.

The woman smelled. That was the second thing Korra noticed. Of gasoline and smoke - like she rolled out from inside an engine.

Her eyes were covered by a sleeping blindfold. It was a fine black lacy silk. Her lips were decorated perfectly with a maroon red lipstick. Her hands were bruised, and her forehead smeared with engine grease

Her snoring went quiet. The woman then reached up and grabbed the blindfold, lifting up one side, looking up to see Korra looking down at her.  She suddenly felt voyeuristic. The girl looked younger than she expected.

“Uh, hi.” Korra croaked, blushing.

“Hi.”

The girl sat up and gave a yawn, moving over on the bench to make room for Korra to sit. She pulled off the blindfold. Her other eye was bruised.

“Sorry ‘bout that. They usually don’t give me a cellmate.”

Korra sat, hugging herself and staring at the bars.

“Your first time?” the girl asked.

“Uh, I mean, I don’t usually, err…” Korra struggled, “Yeah.”

“You’ll be alright. They don’t keep you waiting long in this cell. Usually.”

Asami looked at the other girl. She was trans, Asami could tell in seconds. On some level she wished she didn’t have this prenatural ability to find other trans women, but once you’re interrogating your own appearance in the mirror every day, doing it to others comes naturally. Still though, what were the chances?

She was water tribe, too, judging by the clothing. She had training in combat - Asami could tell by the posture - she sat straight up - and her build - athletic. But no bruises or scars. Probably a bender.

Her eyes... were mesmerizing oceans of deep blue.

The girl cleared her throat. Asami blushed.

“Sorry, where are my manners. I’m Asami.”

She stuck out a hand and the other girl shook it after a pause. Asami tried to give her a comforting smile.

“Korra.”

“Nice to meet you.”

They sat in silence for a while. Asami got bored.

“So are you from the south?”

Korra nodded. “Actually, today’s my first day in Republic City.” Korra wasn’t really feeling like talking to this girl right now, but her smile set Korra at ease. She kept glancing at Asami’s patches, and to her face, and back.

“And I’ve already messed it up, of course.”

“Nah, nonsense, the pigs messed it up.”

Korra looked at her with an odd face.

“The cops, I mean.”

She thought Asami’s words over.

“Anyway, it's a shame you had to run into them. They’re not around to help people but they sure are around when there are fines to hand out or peaceful folks to arrest.”

Korra didn’t like the implications of what Asami had said.

“I’m sure they were just doing their jobs, I mean, I did start a fire.”

Asami seemed surprised at that.

“What happened? I thought you’d have been a waterbender.”

“I am, well, it’s complicated. I got in a fight with a few triads who were holding up a shopkeeper.” Korra felt indignant as the story came together in her head. “I stopped them, but one of them started a fire when I disabled his car and the cops arrested all of us a few minutes later.”

“Sounds like you did a good thing.”

“And I created a lot of collateral damage.” Korra sighed. “Tenzin is gonna kill me.”

That startled Asami. She looked at Korra differently.

“You mean councilman Tenzin?”

“Yeah - you know him?”

Asami just kept looking at her with wide eyes.

“You’re the Avatar.” she finally said.

Korra sighed and nodded.

“Well I’ll be damned.”

Korra felt alien at that. “Anyway, what are you in here for?”

Asami just chuckled. “I was at a rally last night and we got kettled. Lin Beifong has it out for me.”

“Beifong?”

“She’s the chief of police and the biggest hardass you’ll ever meet.”

Korra looked at her with a mild level of distrust and disapproval. Asami was used to it, but not from people of cosmic importance like the Avatar. Or maybe it was this girl’s utterly captivating eyes. Or maybe they were both trans and Korra saw her as ‘bad for the movement’ - either way it hit her harder than usual. The experience was novel in a number of ways. She shrugged the shame off, but felt odd, excited.

There was a clicking from down the hallway.

“Anyway, it's a shame your first day had to end like this.” Asami spoke faster than she was thinking. “I suspect our short time together is coming to a close, but!” Asami stood. “We should get a chance to meet properly. What do you say we meet outside the probending arena tomorrow night and catch a game? My treat, for a lovely lady such as yourself.”

The immediate blush on Korra’s face was treat enough, Asami thought, but then Korra gave a very unsure nod, and Asami grinned. Then an austere greying woman emerged behind the bars.

“Alright princess, let’s go.”

Asami put her hands through the bars to be cuffed.

“Nice to meet you, Avatar Korra.”

  


-

 

“So, miss Asami Sato, the report says you were arrested along with a group of other rioters last night during the blackout at 8:26 P.M. after riots broke out in the lower Dragon Flats.”

She was in the regular interrogation room, arms cuffed to the table. They really needed to redecorate, this got old.

“You have also apparently offered that it was you who smashed up the window outside of the Future Industries Bank chapter there.”

“Yeah, I was redecorating.”

“Of course. So, one count of misdemeanor rioting, one count of property damage, which Future Industries could choose to drop, one count of resisting arrest, one count of being out past curfew, and _felony_ possession of a weapon.”

“The baseball bat?”

“No, your taser.”

“I want that back by the way. It’s proprietary Future Industries technology!”

Lin sighed.

“So, what are we going to do with you, then, Asami?”

The old woman looked more haggard than anything. Tired.

“The same thing we do every time, chief. Miscarry justice.” Asami grinned. 

There was a knock on the door. The chief of police sighed and stood.


	2. Dezlina

On the way back to the Sato mansion, things were quiet in the car. Hiroshi was driving the stately satomobile, Asami was staring out the window. He hadn’t said a word to her since paying the bribe. She was just starting to figure he wouldn’t say anything.

“You know, I don’t like picking you up from the station,  _ Asami _ .”

He emphasized her name in the way that someone does when they want you to know that they remember the name you told them not to call you anymore, as much as you want to forget it. She didn’t let it phase her though. She kept staring at the passing buildings as the big buildings turned to smaller ones.

What was she going to say?  _ Hey, sorry dad. Here let me do all those things I can do that you like - all zero of them _ .

Instead she was silent. She idly wondered when he would finally let her rot in prison. These days this whole performance felt like a formality. Instead her thoughts drifted towards Korra.

The girl was beautiful. And the avatar. Asami figured she would probably have a career as a politician, supporting a broken political order returning to the monarchies and old prejudices that define the four nations. Trying to maintain peace in a deeply violent and broken society. 

Asami had no idea why she asked her out. She was just some rich girl with an agenda, probably a bad influence. But she kept thinking of Korra’s eyes. She could get lost in them. Maybe she could make a good second impression, if not the first. 

So she sat silently in the car until they pulled into the Sato estate’s beautifully landscaped driveway. 

-

Korra was still thinking about that girl when the chief of police picked her up, looking even more annoyed than before. She kept thinking as she was led through the hallways down the station.

Asami was also trans. Korra understood that trans is what you called it in Republic City. They didn’t really have a name for it in the south (the gender roles not being too strict to begin with). 

Korra had just heard stories about the previous avatars and got confused and upset when they tried to associate her with the male ones (Kuruk, Roku, Aang) rather than the female ones (Kyoshi, Yangchen). Then one day Kya explained that Kyoshi too was  _ like her _ \- and that settled the issue. And compared to her avatar duties, her personal feelings about gender felt insignificant, so she rarely thought about it. 

She learned at some point that she wasn’t the only trans person in the world but then she had never met another that she knew of (except for Kya, but she was like an aunt - hardly a peer). 

And then she met Asami. Even with her black eye, garish patches and grease smudges all over, she was attractive. And not in the way that the fancy ladies of Harbor City were pretty, but in a way that was… transgressive. 

She was led to an interrogation room and sat down. The austere woman was looking over a file, playing at intimidation by giving her the silent treatment. Korra tried to bring her attention to the matter at hand, but her mind kept wandering.

And then there was what Asami said. Something about riots and being a nuisance. 

“Before you ask, I did inform councilman Tenzin.”

Korra looked up at Lin Beifong, the chief of police.

“So why am I still here?”

“You disturbed the peace! You resisted arrest, started a fight, and a fire to match. You should be happy I’m not putting you in prison young lady.” the older woman scolded. “Yet.”

Korra began to understand Asami’s cynicism for the police though. Patience would win this battle then. But curiosity got the better of her. 

“Tell me about the other girl I was with in the cell” Korra requested calmly.

“I ask the questions here” she snarled back.

“She told me about you.”

Korra received a glare for that. 

“Her name is Asami, the  _ daughter _ of Hiroshi Sato, and she’s trouble that you’d best stay away from. As soon as her father stops getting her out, she’ll rot in prison if I have any say in it.”

“Isn’t it illegal to take bribes?”

“No one takes bribes around here. You should be focused on your own problems, kid. And there are a lot of ‘em.”

She went back to reading the file. It went on for another ten minutes like that, the silent treatment. Korra stayed cool.

Finally Lin started. “So, let’s start with the beginning…”

There was then a knock on the door and Lin gave an exacerbated sigh. “Not again.” 

A slot on the door opened and a quiet voice announced “Councilman Tenzin is here.”

Korra sighed in relief. She simply couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Kya had dated this woman at one point.

\- Hours later -

“Very well, you can stay on Air Temple Island and train with me, but you have to stay put!”

Relief blossomed from Korra’s chest. Tenzin had finally given in. The sunset threw oranges across the bay and cityscape in the distance. 

“Thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me!” Korra was ecstatic, standing on the docks just minutes before she was to board the boat home. 

Finally she would have a chance to get to know the city, start listening in to council meetings, learn politics, get her airbending on. And the thought of one inky haired girl with the patched jacket came up. 

“Training will be every day in the morning, and every evening will be guided meditations and readings.” Tenzin began, puffing his chest. 

“Right, err, there’s one thing.”

“And what would that be?”

“This is definitely, definitely a one time thing, but I kind of have a date tomorrow.” Korra spoke cracking a sly grin.

Tenzin pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Fine.  _ After _ tomorrow there will be guided meditations and readings.”

_ Phew. _ The more she thought, the more she had questions about the city and what life was like and all those things that Tenzin probably knew nothing about. 

She didn’t know much about pro-bending though. She heard about it, but was always too busy with training to pay it any mind. But surely at the match she would have time to chat up Asami. Korra smiled. She would like that.

They started to walk back to the temple. 

“Who could you have possibly met already?” Tenzin asked.

“Oh, her name is Asami. We met in jail.”

Tenzin stopped and pinched his brow. 

“Now I know what my mother meant.” he muttered. “Be careful around her. Even I’ve heard of her.”

“Oh?” Korra turned at this. 

“You see, err, people like her get lots of attention.”

“You mean people like me.”

“Yes. But she, well...”

Shouting matches at fancy parties came to Tenzin’s mind. And scandals regarding Hiroshi Sato’s wayward daughter being spotted in the most inconvenient places.

“I can’t speak to her lately, but she made a lot of trouble a few years back - starting fights when anyone disrespected her. She got into all sorts of trouble.”

Korra kept staring at the glowing cityscape across the bay. 

“Don’t let her drag you into anything.”

She nodded. 

-

The next morning was filled with Korra trying to get through the spinning gates the airbenders liked to train with. Tenzin kept telling her that she had to  _ feel _ the movement, not just perfect the technique. 

Of course, she had always been focused on technique. With waterbending, you could simply follow the predictable ebb and flow of waves - water was slow and methodical. She could watch the waves and know exactly when they would crest, how fast they were going, just from looking. 

Earth on the other hand simply needed a strong will to move. Metal was more elusive, but ultimately similar. 

Firebending… was her best element, if she was honest. The rigid movements suited her style - and the lightning and blue flame techniques came naturally to her. It was more precise than any other element. She perfected every technique they gave her. When, a year ago, Tenzin had refused to train her, the only thing that kept her around the South Pole was the promise of more to learn about her favorite element, past her initial mastery. 

It didn’t last, of course. 

But air, it wasn’t predictable. It disliked being controlled. She could feel it flowing around her, but she could never feel what it was about to do. No precise technique or determination could muster it to follow her will. 

Of course, this made getting through the spinning gates impossible. She needed to dance with it - and she was never much of a dancer. 

After a day of frustration, Tenzin finally let up. 

“I suppose this is as good of a stopping point as any.” he started, as she laid on the ground near the gates, bruises forming. 

“You have your business, after all. And I want to look into why you’re having difficulty. I’m sure the library has some wisdom on it.”

Unfortunately, Korra already knew what her difficulty was. Her personality was nothing like Avatar Aang’s. She was too grounded, driven, and forceful. But she would let Tenzin knock himself out. 

Korra smiled. She did have a date after all. 

\- Hours later -

Asami had just started to get antsy when she spotted Korra approaching the arena - she looked serene - dressed in casual Water Tribe garb. It was appropriately cold, near the end of fall.

Asami had also cleaned up - going for a more normal-looking jacket and pants combo. She felt odd in the outfit, but it was casual, nondescript. Good for impressions, or so she hoped. 

She waved and they approached.

“I’m glad you came” Asami started

“You thought I wouldn’t?” Korra responded. 

“Well, maybe. I didn’t make the best first impression.”

“That’s my line, Asami. I’m the avatar after all.”

They both chuckled, any tension fading. 

“Let’s get in - I got us good seats.” Asami led them past the door, flashing tickets to the guard. 

“So what is this whole pro-bending thing about anyway?”

A crowd enveloped them as people flooded into the stadium, and as they got jostled, Asami offered Korra her hand. She took it as the other girl led her into the stands.

“It’s a three on three bending match - one of each kind of bender (besides air) fight for territory.”

The crowd thinned but Korra held on to her hand.

“There’s a time limit and different zones - and benders can get knocked into the water below. It’s fun to watch.”

Asami was starting to blush a bit as they stepped onto the stands, moving to sit. Their view was good - second row seats.

Korra was smiling and looking around. “I’ve never seen so many people” she murmured. There were probably a few thousand people total in the stands. She noticed she was still holding Asami’s hand and promptly let go, blushing a bit.

“Err, sorry.”

Asami just giggled. They had a few minutes.

“Are most of the spectators benders too?” Korra asked.

“Actually, you’d be surprised but most of them aren’t. Considering that benders are less than 10% of the population here - and that’s more than most places - you could easily fill a stadium with them. But I’ve been told pro-bending is much more of a spectator sport.”

“Spectator sport?”

“A lot of it is for show. You’ll see.”

The lights went down and the announcer started. 

“Introducing, from the Earth Nation, the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps: Shan, Ko, and Loong!”

A team was deployed on one end of the blue and red platform. The crowd murmured and they waved.

“Versus our very own rookies - Fire Ferrets!”

The crowd roared and the three benders waved from the other side. Korra saw Asami cringe a bit from the corner of her eye, but the match went on before she could ask her about it.

The announcer, Shiro Shinobi, was good at explaining what was going on as the benders of each type started throwing shots at each other. Korra could tell their styles were different - more agile than what she had learned - but at the same time, their attacks were small and controlled. The sport was different from actual combat. 

The firebender on the Ferrets was good - he had drive - and good synergy with the earthbender - but their waterbender was out of touch, and got thrown in the water before a minute was up. 

They managed to turn the match around though - and pushed the Wasps back. Minutes went by as the crowd grew more excited - the match was reduced to the Ferret’s firebender versus the Wasp’s earthbender and waterbender. He pulled an amazing sequence of hits, sending them both to the drink - and claiming victory. 

Korra was cheering with the rest of them by the end, though Asami seemed more reserved. 

“That was amazing!” Korra told her when the noise died down. “I’ve never seen anyone bend like that before.”

“Glad you liked it.” Asami said, stretching her arms. 

“Especially the Fire Ferrets - the earthbender and firebender really worked together.”

“Well, they are brothers after all.”

“Really? Huh. I wish I could ask them about their technique.”

Asami had a glint in her eye.

“Well, maybe you can.”

-

“I can’t believe you got us in! That guard took one look at you and waved you in.”

“He didn’t get the memo I guess.” Asami muttered. 

“I’m guessing you know the Ferrets then?” Korra continued.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

They were walking through the underbelly of the stadium.

“Well, Mako and I, well, go back, as it were.”

They came to a door and Asami flung it open.

“Congratulations Fire Ferrets” - she started as she walked through. The three benders looked up and each’s face was different. 

Hasook, the waterbender, looked at Mako with amusement. Mako, the firebender, grimaced to see Asami. Bolin, the earthbender, looked up at her in warm surprise.

“Asami!” He started. “Long time no see!” he hugged her and she returned it surprised. 

“Bolin! It’s good to see you too.” She smiled at him, and turned to his brother. “Mako.” 

He nodded begrudgingly. 

Hasook gave a smug look to this before going for the door. “I’ll let you all catch up.”

Mako called to him. “Hey, we need to talk about tonight Hasook!”

“Get off my case, buddy.” He tossed back as he left. 

“Great.” Mako muttered. “Just great. And what are you here for Asami?”

“Just catching up with my friend Bolin. And I brought a friend.”

Asami turned to the other girl in the room. “This is Korra - she’s interested in probending, and I wanted to introduce you all.”

Korra smiled at Mako as he looked at her in irritation and went to his locker, depositing armor onto a rack.

“So, Asami, how’ve you been? It’s been, what, seven months? How the time flies...”

Bolin started on regaling her with his life updates. She winked at Korra and motioned to Mako before turning back to the earthbender.

Korra approached Mako. “So mister hat-trick - nice bending back there.”

“I’m not interested in you.” he immediately replied.

“I was being serious” she returned.

“I’m seriously not interested in you. There are enough fangirls in the world - find something better to do with your time.”

“I was giving you a complement. Bender to bender. Besides, I go for women.”

He looked at her, and then back to Asami, and back to her. “Oh.”

He paused at unloading his uniform. “Thanks, then.” He turned to her. “Would have taken you for a waterbender, though.”

Korra paused. “Oh, I am.”

“Then…?”

“I’m also a firebender.”

He paused. “You’re the-”

“Avatar, yes, I know, I know! And I liked your moves. Okay?” He was staring. “Spirits, is this going to happen every time?” she remarked. “Anyway, I’ve never seen anyone bend like that. That was so… spontaneous.”

“Well, its the secret to probending. There is only one element.”

Korra smiled. 

“Care to show me?”

-

Bolin was telling her all about their continued success as a team - though the problems with Hasook were growing. 

“And what about you Asami? Are you still going to Dragon Flats?”

“Yeah, they need my help around there.”

Bolin nodded sagely. “I respect that a lot.”

“And how’s your brother?”

“Still trying to baby me. He’s still not really over you either, but he’s fine.”

Asami sighed, noticing that Korra and Mako had left already. “I suspected not. Sorry to burst in - I wanted to impress her.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s been way too long! I want to hear from you.”

Bolin had always seemed a little too mature for his age to Asami. On the other hand, she always felt a little too immature for her age.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do when you’re done at RCU?”

Asami grimaced.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. But you’re smart, Asami, you’ll figure something out.”

He turned to his locker and started unloading things.

“Anyway, whose the girl?”

“Oh, she’s new in town - we met in jail.”

Bolin stumbled had a fit of coughs. “Ah, I see.”

-

Mako was demonstrating how probending worked for a firebender, sending short bursts of flame across to strike a far target. Korra was in full learning mode, smiling all the while. When she copied his moves precisely, sending blue arcs of fire to follow his, he sat down surprised.

“I guess it’s not your first time mastering the elements then.” 

Korra chuckled at the smoking target. 

“So how’d you meet Asami?” he continued, with an unreadable neutrality on his face.

“Err, we were put in the same cell at the jail after I got into a fight.”

“Sounds like her” he said, sighing. 

“How do you know her?” Korra asked, trying to sound neutral.

He gave her a look. “Guess she didn’t tell you.” 

Korra shook her head.

“We dated.”

“Ah. I take it things didn’t go well?”

“No - she’s, well, it was complicated.”

Korra sat as well, waiting for Mako to continue. He sighed.

“Listen, we started dating and things were cool - it was a lot of fun. But then as we got closer, she wouldn’t tell me anything and, well, she had a lot of baggage and preferred to let it fester.”

He looked out into the practice room, eyes settling on the singed target dummy. “She kept going cold when something from her past would come up - which was a lot. Eventually I told her to get real or get out and... she got out.”

He sighed again. “She told me that it was better this way for the both of us - almost like she wanted it - and, well I don’t believe that. I think she hasn’t learned how to open up and it's going to create problems until she does.”

He stood and moved for the door. “For your sake I hope she has.”

-

Korra put on a smile when they went back to find Bolin and Asami - they were chatting, Bolin smiling more genuinely, Asami more reserved. 

“Shall we?” she offered - and they said their goodbyes to the bending brothers before going to the exit. 

On the way, Asami broke the silence.

“So, what did he tell you? That I’m trouble?”

Korra gave her a gentle smile. “I’ve heard that you’re trouble a few times now.”

They were walking along the outside of the stadium, the bay to their left, with Aang’s statue in the distance. Asami stopped to lean against the railing.

“Yeah, well, I probably am.”

Korra stopped next to her. “I don’t know.” she responded. “I don’t feel like you’re trouble.”

Asami swallowed, feeling nervous butterflies rising in her chest. She rolled the words around in her head before voicing them. 

“Listen, I was a jerk to Mako. I know it. Whatever he told you, it's probably right. But I’ve been trying to mature. I want you to understand that if we’re going to see each other.”

Korra gave her an understanding smile. One that turned to playful at her realization. 

“Are we seeing each other now, then?”

Asami blushed and glanced out to the harbor and the city lit up yellow, and turned to look Korra in the eyes.

“Would you like to?”

“Yeah, I would.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is, of course, the submission special for 2 chapters in 1 day. Next chapter should be within a week.


	3. Rainbow Water

Korra had been in Republic City for 3 months now, and she was busy. 

First there was the airbending training, which wasn’t going fast. She was able to get through the gates a few times without getting hit, but not consistently. Tenzin was convinced that she was making improvements, that it would all just “click” -- but she doubted it. 

Still, he wasn’t as strict as he pretended, and she got to the city pretty regularly. There was a lot of other things to do, like going to council meetings. 

Listening to Tenzin and Tarrlok bicker and the other members simply go with whoever was most convincing was frustrating, but she was rapidly learning about the political landscape of the city.

Republic City was rich and booming, but the new economy was not benefiting everyone. Tenzin called it capitalism, because there were some industrialists who hired large numbers of workers to work in factories, and that was the basis of the economy. 

In turn, she picked up that the industrial output was largely sold to the Earth Nation and Fire Nation, with bits and pieces going to the Water Tribes.

The United Republic was small in size and resources, so it relied on imports of workers and materials, which it used to bolster its manufacturing economy. At the same time, unemployment was skyrocketing in the city as the economy cycled between boom and bust, often wreaking havoc on the poor. 

No one could have predicted that it would result in a large group of people with no livelihood (Asami called it the ‘reserve labor army’). At least in the Earth Kingdom there was land you could farm as a peasant under the corvée system. In Republic City, every scrap of land was owned. 

And apparently if you were a bender there were more jobs and a developed crime syndicate to join if you couldn’t find a job, but if you weren’t a bender there was nothing for you. There was a growing anti-bender movement, but Asami said it was probably because poor nonbenders have nothing to turn to. They were called the Equalists, and they operated largely like an underground resistance group, but they were starting to openly challenge the legitimacy of the largely undemocratic United Republic government. 

And then there were the other politics. The Fire Nation royals wanted the United Republic’s military aid to oust the revolutionary People’s Fire Republic, which was in turn refusing to pay reparations to the Earth Nation. In turn, Kuvira was running military operations on the border, threatening UR sovereignty and calling for a trade embargo on the PFR as well as extradition of the Metal Clan, and so on and so forth.

Korra had no idea about a lot of these issues until they kept coming up. She would occasionally ask Asami to explain them - who was, surprisingly, a savvy political analyst. They would typically share lunch during the council’s recess - Asami would bring dumplings and offer Korra advice on what was going on. 

Asami would visit between classes at the university a few blocks north - studying an odd mixture between engineering and political economy. She was working on some sort of thesis that, once done, would mean she was “educated.”

Korra also would train with the Fire Ferrets - picking up new bits of technique. Hasook and Mako really didn’t get along, and she was starting to worry that it threatened the team, but it wasn’t her drama so she kept quiet. Mako was perhaps overly critical. 

She was learning a lot though.  

And then there was Asami. Korra didn’t know what to expect at first - she had a few dates back in the south pole, most of them never amounting to anything. Typically her being the Avatar would come up later and things would get weird. You could say she and Asami started on the right foot then - and it was nice. 

At first it was like every time they met, they would start talking and get to sharing experiences neither of them had ever talked about before, and they would go on and on until they were up in the wee hours in the morning, at all-night coffee shops. 

Asami told Korra about her asshole dad and how he disowned her when she came out as trans - that she used to have the last name  _ Sato _ until he refused to bestow it on her when she changed her name. It all came pouring out one night and Asami was crying by the end of it. She talked about how her father remarried after her mom died and about her little half-brother, Hiroshi jr. 

In turn, Korra talked about the first time she bent lightning, and the scared look on her parent’s face. The day she told them she was a girl and the anxiety that brought them. The day the White Lotus started preventing her from going home on weekends. How training kept her together through the isolation and pressure in the south. How afraid she was to make a mistake. 

Things had been nice, but lately Asami had been more quiet and reserved. Something was on her mind, but Korra didn’t know what. She often thought back to the few words Mako had said about their relationship, wondering if the same pattern was occuring. She had been considering talking to Asami about it. 

As Korra thought about the past few months, sitting on the steps of the city hall, she spotted the woman in question carrying takeout in her direction, with her signature patched jacket and black boots.

Their usual ritual was to walk to the Water Tribe community center, but it was a terribly nice day in February, so they sat in the plaza. There was snow from a few days prior, but in the heat it was sublimating, giving a thin fog revealing grass and pavement. 

Asami gave Korra a quick kiss as they met. “How did it go?” she asked.

Korra shrugged. “Tarrlok is blocking Tenzin from making any substantive move to address the poor neighborhoods’ issues - he says he wants to ‘crack down on crime’ but won’t do anything to help the people turning to crime. I’m starting to see why you don’t think the council can do much.”

“Not with him in charge anyway” Asami remarked. 

“But enough about that. What are you up to?”

“Well, after engineering today I’m heading over to Dragon Flats to run the repair shop. Then I’ll probably crash at Suyin’s place and tutor Opal. You should come with.”

“Maybe.” Korra said.

Asami sat down and held the oversized pork bun she favored in one hand, admiring it before she took a bite, other hand resting around Korra’s shoulders. Korra opened her box to reveal neat rows of shumai. There was a nearby tree, offering shade, and it was so warm it felt like a summer day in the middle of winter.

They sat like that for a while, watching the plaza and street, the sun filtering through warming them just enough. The moment would have gone on forever if either had any say, but then they saw Tenzin walking from one building to city hall, red faced and irritated. He spotted them and Korra waved. He approached.

“Korra, a word please?”

Korra and Asami shared a glance before begrudgingly parting as Korra followed Tenzin out of hearing range.

“Are you sure it's a good idea to be… fraternizing with her out here in public?”

Korra gave him a look that conveyed that this was not a welcome question.

“Alright, fine. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that Tarrlok has declared a gala in your honor.”

“What? When?” Korra looked confused. “Since when does he even like me? Ever since I last spoke at the meetings he wouldn’t even acknowledge my presence.”

“I only just heard, and I suspect he intends to spring it on you when we return from recess. The press are already gathering outside city hall - I’m glad I could find you before they did.”

Korra stood and processed this for a moment. 

“He probably wants something from me and wants to fluster me to get it.”

Korra had been spared the fancy parties so far. Her only major appearance was announcing her arrival to the city about a month ago. They decided to give her a breathing period before she had to be official, and she was grateful for it, but now it had past and things were changing.

She harrumphed. From all she heard about big parties from Asami, she was sure they would be a bad time.

“Any idea what it is that he wants?”

Tenzin shrugged. “Maybe your public support on his tough-on-crime bill, but if he thinks he’s going to get it he’s sorely mistaken. Anyway, you should get ready for the press when you head back.” 

Korra nodded and returned to Asami.

“Tarrlok is scheming, and apparently there’s a press mob forming over by city hall.”

Asami nodded in understanding as Korra finished her dim sum. Soon they had packed up the boxes and started walking back. 

Indeed, there was a crowd growing. Asami tapped her on the shoulder.

“I’ll let you take it from here. Meet me at the clinic?”

She nodded and they shared a brief kiss and hug before parting. Korra steeled herself for the worst part of politics: the press. 

-

Asami breathed a sigh of relief having gotten out of any more press attention. The last thing Korra needed was to be spotted with her by the aggressive camera-wielding mob of journalists. 

She walked back to the university, trying to breath in the weather before she returned to class. The past few months had been some of the best ones, and she could feel herself adjusting to them. 

She had moved out of her father’s house, into an apartment in the city. He was more than happy to pay for it, even though the rent was ridiculous. It only reminded her that he didn’t want her around, but it didn’t sting as much as usual. 

She recalled bringing it up to him - she still didn’t know what to make of it.

_ “Dad… I’ve been thinking about moving out.” _

_ Hiroshi looked up. Fuzhi was feeding Hi Jr. who had gotten to the short sentences point, but most of the subtle interactions between Asami and her father passed him by.  _

_ Hiroshi gave her a calculating look.  Asami was tensed, half expecting an interrogation about her reasons or justifications, a judgment of her character, a cost or bargain to her requests, but as always it never came. _

_ “Where would you like to live, Asami?” _

Asami shuttered, making her way into the engineering building. She remembered all the stares she got at the beginning of the class - people had, mercifully, lost interest, after the first week. Which was good, because she was running out of energy to meet them with her own.  

She had made a concerted effort to stay out of trouble too, largely for Korra’s sake. After one protest turned riot, she had gotten scraped up by a short scuffle with some pro-Kuvira demonstrators (they came out worse), and Korra insisted she not do that to her again. 

And in turn she was spending more time at Suyin’s place, which meant Suyin was acting motherly to her more often. The nurturing felt odd to Asami - she wanted to turn the well meaning woman away and play the rebel. 

Being accepted by them felt deeply uncomfortable - why should they try take her in? She was just some girl - not deserving of their kindness. The older woman had a superhuman depth of understanding and compassion, and she and Korra got along famously, and soon she was training Korra in her most advanced metalbending techniques. 

But Asami still felt uneasy. It was a novel feeling - being accepted. It made her feel like a fraud. She recognized this feeling from when she was dating Mako, and she promised herself to talk to Korra about it before it became an issue, but she hadn’t been able to do it yet. And so she grew more uncomfortable. 

Of course, she hadn’t recognized it for what it was back when she was seeing Mako. But then Mako knew how to be so driving, so critical, that things fell apart before she could. 

She sat in her desk at the front of her class, her notebook and slide rule out. They were going to continue the lecture on theoretical mechanics - today was fluid dynamics. 

As the lecture started, she fell into blissful focus on the task at hand. 

\- Hours later - 

The free repair shop was a project run by some of the more socially minded engineering students at RCU - they would fix anything anyone knew how to fix in the Dragon Flats neighborhood. It was situated next to the free health clinic that Katara had started two decades ago. 

Asami had helped start it by convincing her classmates that it was a good way to get practice, but the ones who stayed were compelled by the work. They had found an old Future Industries warehouse in the area, which her friend Windmill had fixed up for their purposes. It wasn’t comfortable, but it got the job done. 

She usually fixed the cars and mechanical stuff while Izu handled management and worked with electronics and Windmill worked on houses. They were the core team, plus a few other volunteers. 

When Asami worked to do something good for people, it made her feel better about whatever she was worried about. If she fixed this car, it would be enough, even if she was a fraud, or had no idea what she was doing with her life. 

Luckily, Izu had already handled intake and there were two cars in the garage for her to work on. Changing into a shop jumpsuit, she turned on the radio and got to work. Another two hours had passed and she had already fixed one car and identified the source of the problem in the other one when Korra dropped by. 

Kissing her girlfriend between changing tools, she asked “So how’d the press thing go?”

Korra sighed. “Well, Tarrlok wants to throw a gala in honor of my arrival to Republic City.”

“No secret motive?”

“Not that he told me. But I’d eat my shorts if he didn’t have one.”

Asami giggled.

“I think I just need a few more minutes with this one and we can head over to Suyin’s.”

She worked as Korra moved through bending forms on the shop floor, moving to the music. Korra caught her staring a few times and would blush. Asami could hardly help it.

Finally Asami finished replacing the last gear in the aging satomobile engine. “That should do it.”

She tried the ignition of the car and it roared to life. She let it run for a minute before shutting it down. 

“I’ll need to drive it before I know it’s good. But that can come later. Let’s get over to Suyin’s.”

Asami went to change. As she did, Korra looked at the other mass of metal in the garage - the Asamobile (Korra’s name for it) - an odd winged beast that Asami had been putting together for the better part of a year. It loomed half covered in tarp, a heap of old broken parts laid at its base, salvaged from broken vehicles Asami dragged back to the shop. 

Korra called them sacrifices, because Asami would eventually tear the thing apart and incorporate in the new parts. It looked dormant though - she hadn’t had time to work on it lately. Asami was hoping to get it to fly someday, much to Korra’s surprise (it had no balloon!). 

-

After changing and washing up, Asami and Korra walked from the repair shop the few blocks to Suyin’s place - a stately house on the border between the flats and the more well to do Lion-Turtle Terrace. 

Two personal guards stood outside the walled courtyard, keeping watch for troublemakers. After all, there were only two major threats to Kuvira’s de jure control of the Earth Nation and one of them was Suyin Beifong. The Pro-Kuvira Earth Nation Now party had sympathizers that would take their “unification” agenda a few steps too far. 

They went through the courtyard and into the house, greeting the family. 

There were Suyin and Bataar, loudly chatting in the lounge, and Huan, a most expressive visual artist, working on a sculpture. 

Wing and Wei were out in the backyard playing a metalbending game of their own design, Asami assumed, as they usually did. Opal was working on a homework assignment in the library. 

“Asami and Korra! A pleasure as always” Suyin simpered. “How’s business at the shop?”

“Overbooked, as usual” Asami said, failing not to smile as she walked in. 

“That’s a sign of success.” she returned. “And Korra, any new developments at the council?”

“Tarrlok wants to throw a party for me, with secret motives no doubt.” 

“As he is wont to do. Please, sit, tell us all about it. Some tea?”

Korra sat as Asami went over to tutor Opal with her math homework.

-

“So, Tarrlok is throwing a party, and you’re the guest of honor. What does he want, you to pat him on the head in front of a camera?” Suyin asked.

“Probably”- they all chuckled good naturedly. “He sprung it on Tenzin too - framing things to the press as though Tenzin agreed and helped him plan it. They couldn’t plan a walk down the street together much less a gala.”

“Much less a city!” Bataar jabbed, and there were more laughs. They both had glasses of wine, and were more than one bottle through. Korra had to admit they were fun to be around, but sometimes wondered what they did all day without a city to run. 

“I bet he’s gonna corner me in front of the press and ask me some hard questions or something.” Korra guessed soberly. “Something that makes him look good or Tenzin look bad.”

“You just have to keep Asami by your side and she’ll help you get through it. She’ll make a politician of you yet. And to think, if it wasn’t for my bitch of a sister, you never would have met her.”

Suyin laughed at her own jokes, Bataar joining in.

Korra smiled, gaze drifting down the hall to where her girlfriend tutored Opal. “I know.”

-

Soon it was dinner time and the Beifong personal chef had prepared a nice meal for them all. At one point, Suyin lamented her personal chef’s fine kitchen and staff in Zaofu, and Bataar soothed her. Asami gave Korra a look with a cocked eyebrow, and Wing and Wei ignored them all as they conspired over writing the rulebook for their game. Opal was talking to Asami about integrals and Korra was sitting next to Huan, who was sketching designs for their next sculpture. 

The meal was delicious, though, and they and Suyin and Bataar talked about everything from politics to bending techniques. 

At one point, Suyin asked Korra about her airbending, to which she embarrassedly replied she was making little progress. Asami held her hand under the table over that. 

After a bit more wine the untactful questions really uncorked and soon Suyin was asking Asami about her thesis, which she insisted was “in progress, still…” and Suyin loudly offered to proofread it and give comments. 

Had she the time and energy to sit down and make the Asamobile work, she would be able to finish writing it and move on, but she had confided in Korra that she was more compelled these days by social issues than mechanical ones. Besides, she asked, who would manufacture it? Her father?

Asami eventually took a break outside from Suyin and Bataar’s loud presence and a minute later Korra excused herself to follow.

“They can be a bit much” she started. They were on a balcony which overlooked the Dragon Flats and beyond them the city.

“Yeah.”

“What’s wrong?”

She put her arm around Asami. She wouldn’t meet Korra’s eyes, so Korra looked out with her to the city. A few moments passed.

“I guess I feel weird when I come here. I mean, I don’t fit in. I’m a weirdo they keep around, and I’m never sure why. ”

“I don’t know, I guess cuz you’re pretty cool, and they can tell.”

Asami sighed, still looking out at the city. 

“Listen, with this gala that’s coming up” Korra started. “I want you to come with me.”

“What?” Asami started, finally meeting her gaze.

“I need your help, you’re better at this than I am.”

“I… I don’t think I can do that.”

“I understand if it sounds overwhelming, but it would really mean a lot to me.”

Asami stepped back, looking a little angry.

“Don’t you understand why that won’t work? I’m not exactly popular in this town.”

“So? I’m the avatar. And you’re my girlfriend. And I have quite a few things to do that won’t make me popular.”

“I don’t want to drag you down. ” 

Korra realized that this upset her. Asami shivered. 

“You never have.” 

“The answer is no.” 

Korra stood silently. 

“Why?”

“This - us - works because when it's just us, you can look past my flaws - but other people won’t.” Asami looked at her feet. 

“That’s - that’s what you think is going on here? That I’m looking past your flaws? Spirits, Asami.” Korra felt her eyes tearing up, hands shaking. “That’s not how I feel about you at all.”

“Are you sure?”

-

Korra went home for the night, saying little, and Asami retired to her room in the Beifong house shortly after their conversation. 

Walking in the cool night air, she had calmed down enough to let her inner flame fill her limbs with warmth. She did her best to set aside any frustration she felt - but couldn’t dispel all of it.

_ Why had Asami said the things she said? _ Had Korra implied she felt that way? She was left with only more questions.

One firebender came to mind. Maybe Mako had advice for her. The idea of consulting an ex on fixing a relationship sounded dangerous.

Fixing a relationship. It sunk in. _ This has been a problem for a while _ Korra thought. She was a little hurt, but more worried for her partner than anything else. 

_ First I need to figure out why. _

 

\-  Years ago -

 

_ Hiroshi Sato was adjusting his tie in front of the mirror, finishing his perfected business attire. He nodded to the serving man by the door and he stepped outside.  _

_ Stepping outside, he walked leisurely down the staircase in his mansion, with few cares, until his eyes came to rest on something he did not expect. _

_ His son, no, his daughter, was sitting on the chair near the door, looking a little nervous. She was wearing a formal dress, like the kind Yasuko once wore to functions such as this. No doubt the poor child had it made in her mother’s style. _

_ It had been almost a year now.  _

_ He stood by the doorway regarding her.  _

_ “Asami, what are you doing out here?” _

_ She stumbled over her words. “It's the year’s end party, right? I always go to it.” _

_ “Don’t you understand why that won’t work, Asami? They won’t accept you.” _

_ She looked at her shoes, ashamed. _

He said something, but it escaped her. What was it? It was at the tip of her tongue.

What did she say next? She remembered that.

_ “You mean you won’t accept me.” _

_ He nodded, a strange look on his face.  _ Or did he deny it? Or did he frown? She didn’t recall. 

The memory was a dog-eared book, pages missing from overuse. 

What was it that he said?

_ “Asami, I’m…”  _ Ashamed?

_ “Are you sure?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all better keep commenting


	4. Grow Slow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy trans day of visibility you troublemakers. heres a chapter for you

Korra didn’t see Asami the next day at noon, but decided against tracking her down. There was someone she wanted to talk to first. And so, between Tenzin’s new  _ politics and parties _ night school and the council meetings and airbending training, Korra made her way to the probending arena to find Mako.

The brothers were training in the gym as she arrived. 

“Korra!” Bolin called out, dropping the stone ring he was bending. “Long time no see!”

“It’s been a few days, yeah.” She chuckled.

They both smiled at her. After she became a training buddy, they had grown closer, and shared a meal after every once and a while. 

One time Bolin got absolutely smashed and confessed his crush to her, and she then had to explain how she didn’t go for men and was actually dating Asami, which made Bolin even happier somehow. 

There were some good times. The look on her face revealed a heavier subject as she got closer.

“What’s wrong?” Mako asked. 

“Mako, can I ask a big, big favor?”

-

They were on one of the arena’s towers looking out over the bay. Aang’s statue watched over them. 

_ I wonder what he’d have done. _ Korra thought.

“So, let me get this straight. She’s acting like you don’t truly accept her?”

She nodded at him and he continued. “And she doesn’t really listen to you when you tell her otherwise?”

She nodded again. He sighed. 

“Sounds like when we were together. My advice? You should let her work it out, and if she doesn’t -- break up.”

She thought his words over, staring at the statue, trying to imagine the man it was modeled after, living, breathing.

“What happened between you two?”

“What’s there to say? We started to get close and she was suddenly really insecure about whether or not I actually liked her.”

She turned her back to the statue, crossing her arms. Mako was looking at her expectedly. 

“Was it… was it about the trans thing?”

“No.” - his answer was immediate. “Well, probably not. We talked about that on the second date and I made it clear it wasn’t a problem, and I understood what it meant, et cetera...”

His eyes glazed over as he thought back. 

“When I forced the issue, she did say it was part of it, but I don’t think there is a reason… deep down… ”

\- Many months ago - 

_ It was the second time she had been this way. Asami wouldn’t talk to him about anything these days. The last time it happened, he didn’t notice until a week had gone by with her avoiding any kind of positive attention.  _

_ “What’s your deal Asami? What the fuck is this about?” _

_ “I - there’s no way I can fit in here.”  _

_ What had this meant? Mako was unsure, frustrated, angry. Why couldn’t they just have something nice? _

_ “I’m no bender, I’m no fangirl, I don’t have family or a job. I’m trans and weird and I’ve got baggage and I have no idea what I’m doing with my life. What’s the deal? I can’t imagine why you’d want to keep me around.” _

_ “Asami, I liked you! Doesn’t that matter? You’re so fucking selfish.” _

_ She wouldn’t look Mako in the eye. _

_ “Look at me!” he yelled. She wouldn’t. “You’ve got some shit to figure out Asami - I can’t get through to you like this. You’re doing this to yourself!” _

\- Present day -

“I was... angry, and I said some mean things, which didn’t help.” - he sighed - “I believe that she’s traumatized. And I get it, but she has to take responsibility for herself at some point. Otherwise she’s just going to keep stomping on people’s feelings.”

Mako took a few deep breaths while Korra mulled that over.

“She told me about her dad a bit. It wouldn’t surprise me if that was part of it.”

“Hmmph.” Mako chuckled. “You got further than me, at least.”

Korra tugged on one of her hair loopies in thought. 

“Listen, I’ll go back to what I said earlier. You can’t help her. She has to figure it out herself.”

Korra felt sour at that. She wasn’t keen on leaving people high and dry like that, but perhaps he was right. She dreaded the thought. 

Before they could exchange more words though, they heard a thumping as though someone was climbing the tower. Suddenly...

“GUYS!”

Bolin burst up onto the tower, gasping for breath.

“Hasook, huff, just, huff, quit!”

Korra and Mako shared a look. “What?!”

“He said something about the way we treated him. I couldn’t get through to him!”

“Shit.” Mako paced. “We have a game tonight!”

_ Asami and I were going to watch it, too. _ Korra thought.  _ Guess not anymore though. _

“What do we do?” Bolin asked.

“Can we get a replacement waterbender?”

“I could do it.” Korra offered, speaking before thinking. 

The brothers shared a look.

“That could work” Mako started “but you’re always firebending. We’ll have to practice your waterbending asap. Bolin, how much time before the match?”

“Two hours” he said nervously.

“Then we’ve got two hours of training.”

Korra felt excitement slowly replace dread.  

“Let’s do it.”

-

The stadium was more packed than ever that night. The bouts tonight would decide who played in the championship, and there was only one rookie spot available for the Fire Ferrets to win. 

Korra had taken a quick shower and put on Hasook’s oversized gear as Mako talked to the referee about her standing in. As the Avatar, her name was sure to be recognized, she thought grimly.  _ And the press, of course they’ll be here after. Absolutely dreadful. _

She sat in the prep area, waiting for Mako to get back. Bolin was giving himself a pep talk, and the crowd was already quite loud. Five thousand people in the stadium - and they were planning to build a bigger one soon. 

She looked out to the platform upon which they would fight. She would be out there soon. She couldn’t help but smile. It did look like fun, all those times watching. 

-

“Introducing, the Fire Ferrets! With their new waterbender, Avatar Korra!”

The crowd went absolutely wild. Korra waved sheepishly.

The announcer was enunciating every word, adding hype with every syllable. 

“Versus the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles!”

Both teams were extended out onto the plinth.

Their opponents looked tough, and Korra could hardly focus on the task at hand with all the noise and light. 

“Steady Korra” Mako said in a low voice. “Let us take the lead, and offer backup if you can.”

She nodded and felt the water in the reservoir below the stage. It lapped at her command.

“Round one! Fight!”

Rocks were flying, and fire and water. Korra bent water sparingly, trying to let the brothers carry the match, but as they were each pushed back, the Badgermoles set their sights on her. 

This, unfortunately, took their attention off of Mako and Bolin. Well used to dodging, Korra held her own just long enough for them to make a comeback, smacking the Badgermoles back a zone. In the next round, Korra was immediately pushed back and separated from the others. This time, instead of focusing on her, they focused on Mako and Bolin, and managed to send Mako into the drink.

Bolin wavered at that and they took advantage of it, sending him following. Soon it was just Korra, and they advanced.

They were battering her with hits and she was trying to dodge, to mixed success. It didn’t seem long now that they would take their win, hard fought.

It was in that moment Korra recalled something Asami said while she was working on the Asamobile.

_ “Yeah, air is unpredictable, but it’s a fluid like any other.” _

_ She held up a paper airplane. _

_ “That means it flows around you. Put yourself in the right place…” _

_ She sent the plane gliding across the room. _

_ “And it takes you where you want to go.” _

_ Korra saw it fly, imagining something heavy like that hunk of metal doing it. _

_ “It’s just a matter of flow.” _

Something  _ clicked _ . She felt the front of air around the spinning rock disk - the air parting to let the disk through, the vortex, the pressure wave following it - and she dodged it.

“I don’t believe it folks” - the announcer continued “something has changed in the Avatar’s stance. I can hardly believe my eyes. She’s dodging every shot the Badgermoles make! Incredible!”

She managed to twist and turn and dodge every shot - air was different from water, she realized. Water would crush anything in its way, and energy moved through it quickly - air was not the same. It was slow to respond, lackadaisical, but it did respond to everything around it, forming fronts and eddies and shocks and  _ that _ was what Asami called fluid dynamics.

Then the Badgermoles were out of breath, unable to muster another attack. Korra took the moment to unleash everything she had, sending jet after jet of water, pushing them back and into the drink behind them.

Then she was alone on the plinth, gasping for air. The crowd was wild - she put her hands up in victory. 

Victory.

-

“That was incredible” the Fire Ferret’s manager (and the stadium manager) said to Mako as Korra stepped off the platform. “And through the hardship of losing your waterbender, you came up with someone even more special. Well done.”

His smile was awful and insincere.

“You three will make it to the championships after all. Here’s the prize money, as promised. Minus the part you owe me, of course.”

The few bills he put in Mako’s hands were pitiful compared to the stack. Bolin grimaced at it. 

“You sure don’t wait to sort things out, eh?” Korra remarked.

“Afraid not. And by the way, championship ante is ten thousand yuan. Hope you can make it, otherwise, well, participation is a no go.”

They all grimaced as he left. 

Mako sat dejected. “All that effort we put in, and not being able to ante up will be the thing that gets us.”

“Well maybe we can raise the money.” Korra suggested. She was still high off their victory.

“Yeah! Pabu and I will do tricks!” Bolin suggested.

“I’m not sure” Mako continued. “But I suppose we have to figure out something.”

There was a knock on the door. Korra stumbled over to answer it, and came face to face with her girlfriend. 

“Asami!”

“Korra. Great match!” Asami smiled, but it was strained. Korra was glad to see her though.

“I’m glad you saw it.” 

Neither said anything for a moment.

“Uh, can I talk to you?”

Korra looked to Mako, who gave her a look. Bolin spoke up; “You two go ahead, we’ll work on this ante thing.”

Korra stepped out with Asami as she led her to a secluded area. It was one of the upper balconies - people were filing out below.

She looked at Asami with trepidation, considering all the places this could go. She didn’t want to see Mako’s suspicious confirmed. She wanted, really wanted, for things to get better.

Asami had turned and sat down, back against the railing. Korra slowly sat next to her. 

“I… I’m sorry about what I said last night. I don’t know what came over me. Well, I do know.”

Korra let her say her piece.

“I, I’ve had trouble letting people in, and I know it, and I know that’s not fair to you or me. And I let it get the better of me. And I’m sorry.”

She looked down.

“Asami, I want you to look at me.”

Slowly, she met Korra’s eyes.

“I was worried about you. More than anything else.”

Asami smiled sadly. “Won’t happen again.”

“Okay. One more thing though, Asami?”

She leaned in, slowly, and placed a kiss on her lips. 

“You dummy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't want to keep you all waiting on the endpoint of chapter 3, so 4 got expedited. Thank you to all who comment, bookmark, or leave kudos. It means a lot - and has been very encouraging. 1000 hits is more than I was expecting and I'm only halfway through.


	5. The Ones You Can't Take Back

“Well done, Korra. That was your best one yet.”

They were practicing airbending on the airbender’s drying laundry - rows of sheets and orange clothes hanging out to dry, very securely fastened to lines suspended between poles, flapping in the wind after her previous wind. It was the traditional way to practice airbending gusts - as nearly every part of the traditional air nomad lifestyle incorporated airbending somehow, from cooking to getting around. 

Of course, things had to change after the war, but Tenzin was determined to keep alive as many traditions as possible. His prodigious airbending children, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, were watching from the side.

“It was… kinda soft.” Ikki pointed out.

“I’m not impressed.” Meelo continued. “It wasn’t half as strong as mine!”

“You just blow them all into the ocean- then I have to go in and pick them up!” Ikki said turning to Meelo.

“Korra’s progress in the past week is notable. I wonder what changed.” Jinora mused sagely. 

Korra scratched her head and smiled at the kids. She  _ was _ improving, as something  _ had _ clicked, as Tenzin predicted. Her lack of progress in the months before had led her to doubt his insights and training, but the last week had proved her wrong. She wasn’t learning as fast as with the other elements, but it was like a world of possibilities with this new element had opened up. 

On her own time, she had already started to integrate airbending with the other elements. Air could fan a flame, or vaporize water into a fog cloud. What she needed now was power and consistency. She was most excited to learn gliding, but Tenzin told her she was a month off of that at least.

Tenzin broke her out of her thoughts. “Well, you’d better get ready. I want to talk to you and, uh, Asami, before we go to the gala...”

After that night Asami had agreed to go with her to the party, and even helped coach her on the inevitable interrogation she would receive from the press, trying to suss out Tarrlok’s motives. She was getting coaching from Tenzin too - and with him and Asami there were two very different ways of approaching politics.

Tenzin respected the establishment put in place by his father, Avatar Aang, and was reluctant to indict the council as fully undemocratic or ineffective, especially as a member of it. Asami, on the other hand, wasn’t afraid to criticize the way Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko set up the United Republic to be more a puppet state than a republic.

Now the puppet masters were dead or deposed, and Korra had realized that, to some extent, Tenzin expected her to step up to continue Aang’s legacy, as though her being the Avatar was insurance that she would be a perfect benevolent dictator like Aang tried to be, a guiding hand for the direction of the new state. Korra found the mere idea of that level of responsibility terrifying. 

Asami was skeptical of this too. She didn’t think Aang was a good leader, even if she agreed that he was benevolent. She argued that he put his friends in power during his lifetime so he had effective control over the government. They then failed to regulate or check the new growing capitalist economy, and when Aang died, the power vacuum was quickly filled by the industrial capitalist corporations; Praxis, Subarashi, Armsco, Cabbage Co, and Future Industries - who could now swing the vote in any direction they wanted when it suited them. 

The lack of any facsimile of democracy combined with a declining social and economic stability led to new popular challenges to the council’s legitimacy. These included the worker’s unions but also, more loudly, the Equalists, who were openly decrying the regime, if only rhetorically. Their populist and scapegoating rhetoric made them popular among the most destitute people: poor nonbenders. Tarrlok wanted to respond to this with state repression and mass arrests. At least Tenzin and Asami both agreed on how foolish that was. 

But the council served other purposes, as Tenzin typically defended. Its treaty with the Earth Nation kept Kuvira from simply invading and taking over, and should the council lose sovereignty or legitimacy, no one knew if Kuvira would honor the treaty as they figured things out. Her armies were already perpetually mobilized close to the borders, so the image of strength and unity was as important domestically as internationally.

It was probably the new economy that Kuvira wanted control over. The Earth Nation economy had not been doing well ever since the revolution in the former Fire Nation territory five years ago - as it had grown dependent on reparations from the Fire Nation after the war. The People’s Fire Republic government refused to continue paying, claiming to need the money to address internal economic problems, which seemed to be true, but it did no good for world stability. It did do good for the United Republic though, as both the PFR and the Earth Nation desperately needed cheap manufactured goods to assuage their various internal crises. 

Korra had realized that continued peace seemed impossible - something would eventually break. There were too many competing interests, too many powerful people willing to use force to get what they want. If she could establish herself as a legitimate world leader, through being the Avatar, she might be able to change things, but she didn’t want to be a dictator, even if she could do a better job than Aang. So the more she knew about the issue, the less sure she was in any solution. Maintaining relative stability might be the most she could amount to - and even that wasn’t guaranteed.  

Tenzin was growing familiar with Asami’s ideas even though they hadn’t formally met yet, and he didn’t always like them. Korra felt some trepidation for when they would meet, but she had to admit she felt more prepared with the both of them backing her up. Because even if Tarrlok was vying for power, Korra knew the city’s eyes would be on her, for better or for worse.  

Tenzin had sent his children to gather the air-dried laundry and fold it up, eliciting complaints as he then dismissed Korra to prepare. 

She returned to her room to do so. She had gone out dress shopping with Asami a few days prior, and found a really nice dress with cut out shoulders - in a Water Tribe style but of a fashion that you would  _ never _ see in the north or south. She liked it, because she liked showing off her buff arms, but it looked elegant at the same time. She decided to wear only a watch - one that Asami picked out - as an accessory - to signify she was modern, or so she hoped. 

She wondered what Asami was wearing...

-Soon after-

Asami was waiting at the agreed upon location. It was near the docks, with the arena only a short walk away. It was an hour until sunset, and the Gala started soon after that. She was expecting a boat, but a mammalian roar from a distance had her looking to the skies. A sky bison - her eyes widened.

Two figures were on top, she could make out, as it circled and descended. Finally, it came to hover overhead and land a few meters to her side, the ground shaking from their weight. As Korra descended, Asami’s breath caught. 

_ Damn.  _ The dress really fit her perfectly. It was elegant, but showed off Korra’s arms and well earned strength. She seemed so soft, though. Asami tried to control her goofy grin, pinching herself a bit. 

Korra sized her up with a similar grin. “You clean up good Asami.”

Asami’s heart thumped at that, still, after months of dating. She had opted for a simple business pant suit - one tailored to fit her long slim figure - and  _ short _ heels, which put her an inch above Tenzin already. She was  _ tall _ . Her typical makeup was replaced by a much more elegant and subtle look. Her look projected seriousness and confidence - how they both wanted to feel.

They met for a brief kiss and spent a minute admiring each other.

Tenzin coughed, standing in his regular Air Nomad getup. 

“So, before this whole thing starts, I wanted to talk with the two of you.”

They parted. Asami nodded in acknowledgement, and Korra looked expectedly.

“No doubt you’ve both already discussed strategy for tonight, but I wanted to go over what  _ Korra _ and I have discussed to get us all on the same page.” He gave a pointed look at Asami, who cocked an eyebrow.

“This will be Korra’s first public appearance after that  _ pro-bending match _ ” - he then gave a pointed look at Korra, who grinned sheepishly. “And you two will be seen together. And the press has had time to prepare questions. I believe we’ve all had enough practice for those” - Asami grimaced - “so I don’t think we need any more. I’m sure you both know what’s at stake.”

He sighed and smiled at them both.

“I know there’s a lot of pressure on you Korra, but I wanted to let you know beforehand how proud I am, to be your teacher. However things go, remember that.”

She smiled and nodded. He turned to Asami with an analyzing eye.

“I’ll trust you because she does.” he continued cautiously.

Asami crossed her arms and snarked; “Ditto, old man.” before snickering. 

“I’m not - uh, what I was getting at is that we have to work together. Can I trust you?” Tenzin spoke more serious, more cross. 

She cut herself off and nodded. “You can count on me. I want Korra to succeed as much as you do.”

He nodded. “Good.” Turning to the both of them again, he continued. “Then I have one other thing to bring up. The gala is closed doors - invited press and guests only. I have received word from Lin Beifong,” he pulled out a scroll - “that a police informant has reported a major equalist supporter will be in attendance.”

Eyebrows shot up. “We don’t know who, or if it changes anything, but be on your guard.”

“They’ve been surveilling the Equalists? But they’re just a bunch of activists.” Asami piped up.

“Yes. And they are much more than that, if the informant is to be believed.”

Asami shook her head skeptically, “They’d say that about anyone who questions them.” she remarked before letting him go on.

“You’re not wrong, actually,” Tenzin admitted,  “But we should be vigilant anyways.”

Korra and Asami nodded. 

“Then good luck to you both. I’m afraid we’ll need it.”

\- Later -

“Announcing the guest of honor, Avatar Korra!”

Korra turned to Asami who gave her the most encouraging a smile she could manage. She shrugged and they descended the staircase at the banquet hall together to murmurs in the crowd. She gave a smile and wave to the crowd, trying to look stately.

Cameras flashed, but mercifully the announcer continued to announce the other important guests. There were maybe two hundred people in the crowd - manageable - but it would double by the time the announcements were over. 

“Avatar Korra - a word for the Daily Republican?” one reporter pushed.

“Perhaps later.“

“Avatar Korra? What will your involvement in city politics be in the coming year?”

“Ask me at the plenary.” 

The next few minutes were full of this sort of dodging. She couldn’t get out of every single one though, and occasionally Asami asserted a boundary for her (“That’s enough for now.”  - “Move along now.”)

Asami chuckled to herself. The Avatar’s political bodyguard. She wasn’t exactly qualified for the job, but here she was. But she was snapped from her reverie.

“Asami,  _ heir _ to Future Industries, what is your relationship with Avatar Korra, and how will this new direction affect your standing?”

Ah. She was still  _ technically  _ heir, though no one expected that would amount to anything. Asami stumbled on the question and Korra stepped in. Luckily they  _ had _ actually planned a response to that one. Better to face it head on, they both agreed. 

“She’s my girlfriend. We’re gay - going on three months. You can put  _ that _ on the books.”

Asami smiled sheepishly. “Korra, I’m starving. How about we go get appetisers.” 

“Sure thing  _ darling _ .” 

They both laughed a little and luckily the press became distracted when Tarrlok was announced. Arriving at the appetiser table Korra started filling a plate with weird little cheeses and crackers and fruits. The crowd was thinner there too. 

“You can’t answer questions if you’re chewing.” She stated pragmatically. 

Asami was still shaking off the overwhelm from moments ago. Nothing looked too appetizing to her. This was going to be a long night. 

Korra put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get through it - one talk at a time.”

The minutes went by after that rather slowly. The questions were mostly inane or something they agreed to not answer, or they would run into someone they knew (Suyin, then Tenzin, then one of Asami’s engineering professors) and they would chat about whatever shallow topic. They were both tensed up for Tarrlok to track them down, but he didn’t, mostly talking to reporters on the other side of the room about his tough on crime bill. 

Then the announcer cried; “Announcing Hiroshi and Fuzhi Sato!”

A wash of dread curled up Asami’s spine. She wasn’t expecting him to be here, but it only made sense. She was not prepared for this. 

Korra was chatting with Tenzin a few meters away - as she went to reunite with her a crowd of reporters flowed between them, delaying her return by a minute. Finally, she made eye contact with Korra, who immediately looked concerned. 

It had been a month since she had even saw the man - they would greet each other daily, but now seeing him seemed like the scariest thing in the world. Why?

They met, holding hands. “What’s wrong?” 

But before she could respond, she heard the familiar voice.

“Avatar Korra.”

They both turned. There Hiroshi was, bowing, Fuzhi on the side, giving Asami a sympathetic look.

Korra looked between them, understanding.

“I am very pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Hiroshi Sato, owner and CEO of Future Industries.”

He turned.

“Asami.”

“Father.”

He looked to her hand in Korra’s. 

“So that is what you’ve been up to.” His look was calculating.

Korra immediately stepped in; “Pleased to meet you, but my girlfriend and I need a little time alone if you don’t mind. We were discussing a sensitive matter.”

He relented. “Of course. I’ll be watching you with great interest, Avatar Korra.”

And just like that, he walked away. 

“Man. That guy is unpleasant.” Korra remarked. Asami couldn’t stop her hands from shaking. She took a deep breath.

“He hasn’t changed. Sorry I... freaked out though.”

Korra’s look was one of understanding. 

“Let’s go outside?”

-

The cool air was refreshing on the balcony. They had been out for just a moment when another figure appeared.

“Avatar Korra. May I make my introduction?”

Korra turned to see a stately woman in red.

“Fire Lord Izumi, rightful ruler of the Fire Nation.”

“A pleasure.”

Asami stood at her side, but Izumi wasted no time on her before continuing. 

“It is good to have you back in Republic City, Avatar. The world is out of balance, and it needs you to set things right.”

Her sharp features were set in a hard gaze.

“My cause is righteous to reclaim the Fire Nation and continue paying our debts to the world. The upstart republic is nothing more than a farce - and a mockery of the nation.”

“Err,” Korra started. “I mean…” Nothing followed. 

“You would overthrow a democratically elected government?” Asami cut in.

As though noticing her for the first time, Izumi turned.

“And who might you be?”

“I’m Asami, Korra’s… girlfriend.”

Izumi narrowed her eyes. 

“Korra is not beholden to you or any nation - but to all people.”

“I believe Avatar Aang ignored the world stage too, and you can see where that left us all.”

Her response was immediate and sharp. She went on.

“The council needs a helping hand to understand that a judicious use of force will be needed to restore balance - if you help me -”

“I am not a copy of my predecessor,” Korra interrupted, “but like him I value peace. Your warmongering is unbecoming.”

Izumi paused at that. Asami gulped.

“War is nearly upon us, whether you like it or not, and,” Izumi’s eyes narrowed, “you may find I am a helpful ally to have. Think about it, Avatar.”

She turned and left. Korra and Asami breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sure can’t catch a break, can we?” Korra chuckled

“Guess not.”

They leaned to each other wordlessly, expelling the cold and the worries. A few moments passed.

“I promise my parents will be less awkward than yours.” Korra blurted out. 

Asami snorted. “It wasn’t even that bad, really. Besides, Fuzhi is my step-mom - and she’s not so bad.” 

Korra examined her watch, taking a moment to interpret the little hands.

“Just… two more hours...”

 

\- later -

 

The night ended with a speech from Tarrlok about how Republic City needed its avatar more than ever - how they were beset from all sides - especially by the Equalists. It was the sort of scaremongering rhetoric Korra was expecting, and when she took the microphone after, she gave a few words to refute it;

“People of Republic City, I understand there are a lot of problems, from the unacceptable conditions of poverty and economic instability, to the growing separation between benders and nonbenders, but also between rich and poor, government and people. I promise you, as  _ your _ Avatar, that I will advocate for solutions that bring balance through equity, for all of us. Thank you.”

Tarrlok fumed - as expected. There was no tacit support for his position - but no stance against it strong enough to target. She had evaded a confrontation.

That was, of course, because Korra and Asami (with input from Tenzin) had planned the words meticulously - to shift the conversation from Tarrlok’s agenda to their own. Asami had actually pushed for stronger rhetoric, calling the rich bourgeoisie and poor proletariat and the council undemocratic - but Korra had felt reluctant to bring Asami’s more extreme views into her agenda this early, even if she agreed. 

She mostly wanted to outline how the conversation would be different with her - that she would question those in power - and their legitimacy - as long as they served the wrong interests. This was only the first step. Soon she would have to make an example of someone (probably Tarrlok), to prove she was serious - but that would come later. 

There were some good questions but most she left unanswered - especially the half-baked ones about her personal life. Some were too good to pass up though.

“Avatar Korra - I’m with the Republic City Weekly - are you in support of the gay or transgender agenda?”

She couldn’t help but snort.

“The gay  _ and _ trans agenda, yes. Next?”

And so on. It felt like the night would never end, but finally Tenzin stepped up and gave a closing address. Behind the stage Korra collapsed into Asami’s embrace, sagging from exhaustion. They had done it.

 

\- The next day -

 

Tenzin had let Korra skip practice the next day - and she took the opportunity to sleep in. Waking up late, she took the ferry into town, grabbing some fruit and a newspaper before she left. At the beginning of the twenty minute ride, she looked at the front page with trepidation.

“Avatar Korra Shakes Up Gala”

She was expecting a negative spin from this typically pro-council newspaper, but as she read the first few lines of the article, she was pleasantly surprised. Tenzin’s advice had paid off - and the coverage, from what she could tell, was good. 

She bit into an apple triumphantly as she flipped the page. 

-

Mako was at the dock when she disembarked. There were bags under his eyes.

“Mako - I, what’s up?”

“Bolin was kidnapped by Equalists last night.”

Her eyes widened.

“Tell me everything.”

-

Bolin had been hired by the Triple Threat Triad, to raise money for the championship pot, Mako had put together. He learned of it by a note Bolin left, saying he would crash at Asami’s place after - but he wasn’t there.

Mako went to track his brother down last night, but he arrived a moment too late, to find the Equalists capturing the Triad leader and followers - Bolin included. They wore the same militant outfits that some of the Equalists wore at the biggest rallies they held.

Mako tried to fight them, but they got away and he had no means to chase them. The first thing he did was go to the police, but they wouldn’t give up any information - only saying they’d open an investigation. Then he went to Korra.

They were halfway to city hall when he finished his story. It was suitable that the night of Tarrlok’s gala the Equalists chose to escalate their actions - while all attention was on Korra - he was going to have a field day with the press, if this went public. And if Korra engaged the police as the Avatar, it certainly would go public. And she might have to.

Luckily, it seemed to be a coincidence that Bolin was a target. That meant they had the element of surprise, for now, which is why she first wanted to get in contact with Asami and Tenzin. They could figure something out. 

-

City Hall had a crowd of reporters already - Korra was expecting the same questions as last night.

“Avatar Korra - are you a supporter of the Equalist cause?”

“Are you against the council?”

The questions hit her off guard.

“Avatar Korra - are you aware that Asami, heiress to Future Industries, is a known equalist conspirator?”

She nearly tripped.

“What?!” - Mako echoed her confusion.

“Investigative journalists from the RC Inquirer have placed Asami, born Hiroshi Sato Jr., at numerous equalist events between the period of -”

Korra’s eyes widened. The man was holding up a copy of his paper - offering it to her. Taking it, she looked at the grainy picture of Asami at a rally - it was definitely an equalist one. 

-

_ “I have received word from Lin Beifong,” Tenzin pulled out a scroll - “that a police informant has reported a major equalist supporter will be in attendance.” _

_ Eyebrows shot up. “We don’t know who, or if it changes anything, but be on your guard.” _

_ “They’ve been surveilling the Equalists? But they’re just a bunch of activists.” Asami piped up. _

_ “Yes. And they are much more than that, if the informant is to be believed.” _

_ Asami shook her head skeptically, “They’d say that about anyone who questions them.” she remarked before letting him go on. _

-

The informant.

-

_...a note Bolin left, saying he would crash at Asami’s place... _

-

She was feeling faint. 

-

_ “This - us - works because when it's just us, you can look past my flaws - but other people won’t.” Asami looked at her feet.  _

_ “That’s - that’s what you think is going on here? That I’m looking past your flaws? Spirits, Asami.” Korra felt her eyes tearing up, hands shaking. “That’s not how I feel about you at all.” _

_ “Are you sure?” _

-

“I need to talk to Asami,” she said to Mako, a pit forming in her stomach. “Find Tenzin, tell him what happened.”

He nodded, heading inside. Korra pushed through the crowd and stormed down the street.  

-

She reached Asami’s apartment building in a few minutes and pressed the call button. Nothing. Considering using her key to search the place while her girlfriend was out, she decided against it. She deserved a chance to explain herself. She kept looking at the picture in the paper. Asami had shorter hair then. It was so hard to believe.

“Korra? What are you doing here?”

She looked up. Asami was standing there, bag of groceries under one arm, looking concerned.

“We need to talk. In private. About this.”

She held up the paper. 

Asami’s voice was unreadable, and soft. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I'm so sorry  
> 2) Thanks for reading, commenting, leaving kudos, and bookmarking  
> 3) Act 2 is over, Act 3 begins with the next chapter. In the final stretch!


	6. Did It Anyway

They reached the door to her apartment on the top floor - Korra could feel her heart thumping. Asami was shaking a bit. 

Opening the door, they both entered and stood in the small living room.

“Asami, what the fuck is going on? Are you an equalist?”

She was having trouble meeting Korra’s eyes. It reminded her of that night they fought.

“I - I was, a long time ago.”

“How could you not tell me?” Korra asked, anger rising. “I thought we were being honest with each other!”

“Things - were complicated.”

“Yeah? Well Bolin was kidnapped by them last night! Know anything about that?”

“What?!” Asami met her eyes.

“And he was planning to come here when he was. And there was an informant last night at the party! I need to know if that was you.”

Asami was shaking harder now, tears forming.

“I didn’t know about any of that! And I haven’t been a part of the equalists for years.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. Korra felt her inner flame dancing, licking at her insides as she waited for answers.

“My… mother had just died. She was the only person who supported me.”

Asami stared at her feet.

“A firebender killed her, and I had just come out a few months before it all happened. I… had no one.”

Korra couldn’t help a rush of sympathy, but she forced it down. She needed the full truth.

“So I joined them - and they accepted me, because they were angry and sad and traumatized, like me. They wanted someone to blame, and took it out on innocent people.”

Asami tried to take a deep breath, but it came out staggered. 

“So I left. And I haven’t been in contact with anyone for years.”

Korra felt her frustration fading. She was crying too.

“Why... didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was so ashamed of it. ” 

She wouldn’t meet Korra’s eyes. 

“Asami, I-”

There was a sudden crash. Dark figures bursted through the windows. The door was kicked in.

Equalists. But Asami had just said-

They rushed at her. Korra sent a burst of fire towards the nearest ones - their dark outfits and green goggles were distinct. She pushed them back, and looked across - and froze.

They had Asami, a long jagged knife to her throat, drawing a thin trickle of blood. Her face was tear stricken - terrified. Korra felt guilt - and fear.

“Come quietly or she dies.”

Equalists loomed behind her. She nodded, putting her arms up in surrender. Asami struggled.

“No!” 

She nearly pulled away from him, but he struck her on the head, and then she was limp in his arms. The knife was still at her throat.

Korra knelt and kept starting, ready to spring into action. She felt the one behind her moving. The guy with Asami needs to drop his guard for a second - it would be all she needed.

They jabbed her in the neck with something - and she felt poison - and a wash of dread hit her. She felt the sensation of falling down on the ground before unconsciousness found her.  

_ Damn it all.  _

 

-

 

Asami awakened. It was dark, and cold. Broken glass was on the ground. Her neck stung, as did her hands. There was blood.

Her apartment. She looked around. 

Then she remembered, and felt her heart thumping. The walls shivered.

She clutched a nearby chair as the panic attack washed over her. It took a moment to bring her breathing back into rhythm. 

They took Korra. And Bolin. They ambushed her in her own home. 

_ And it’s my fault. My dishonesty.  _

Stupefied, she sat there, feeling dissociation wash over her. She started to float - it was a familiar feeling. Today was a familiar day.

_ Korra needs me. _

No, Asami was the furthest from what Korra needed.

_ That’s not true. _

Ever since the beginning - Asami was her weakness.  She should get away - far away - while she could. Let Korra fly on without her.

-

_ “Don’t you understand why that won’t work, Asami? They won’t accept you.” _

_ “Are you sure?” Her voice was unsure. She looked at her shoes, ashamed. _

_ “Asami, I’m... sorry.” Hiroshi moved for the door. _

_ “You mean you won’t accept me.” _

_ He paused. For a moment, she felt a flicker of hope. _

_ Then he opened the door, stepped outside, and closed it behind him. He had said nothing. Like always. _

_ The tears followed that.  _

-

She was back in the apartment, feeling those tears again. 

_ It wasn’t my fault. _

She tried to feel the words rising out of her chest. She couldn’t.

She tried to whisper them, but only staggered breaths came out.

Asami tried again.

“It… wasn’t my fault.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

The tension and pain of five years crashed down. She felt every hot tear, every sob, until there were none left, and she was an empty vessel, feeling nothing.

Not nothing, she realized. She felt something - then. Resolve.

She stumbled to her feet, finding the phone, dialing Tenzin’s number. Perhaps…

It would be enough if she could fix this. 

 

-

 

“I’m sorry Asami, but I can’t trust you. Stay out of this.”

“No, Tenzin, the Equalists have her - you have to listen to me!”

But Tenzin hung up. She dropped the receiver and slammed her fist on the wall.

“Shit.”

She put her head against the wall. It all still didn’t add up, looking at the newspaper Korra brought again.

The first time she and Korra were public about their relationship was last night - how could it take less than a day for the news to make the equalist connection, when the equalists were not even public about their kidnapping? 

It wasn’t the most scandalous thing Asami had done in the past five years, anyway. Not by far. She had been caught fraternizing with the Peoples’ Fire Republic diplomat’s daughter once, and been involved in the recent anti-Kuvira protests. Going to a few Equalist meetings in their earlier days seemed relatively minor by comparison.

It would be relatively easy to indict Asami as a troublemaker - having a bad influence on Korra - rather than as an equalist conspirator turning her against the council. The claim was almost preposterous - unless the person who made it was doing it for a reason. 

The gears were turning in her head. A plausible scenario formed. The equalist conspirator at the party must have learned that Korra and Asami were together and had been watching Asami for a while - long enough to take advantage of the situation. Who could be that person?

She felt the knot in her chest. 

Asami threw on her jacket, hoping she was wrong.

-

Asami stepped out of the repair shop jalopy onto the neat pavement of the Sato Mansion. The building was imposing, and nearly dark except one window - one she recognized. 

Her father’s office.

The guard let her into the door, and she stepped up the stairs. She heard the crying of Hiroshi Jr, her toddler stepbrother, and cooing of Fuzhi - down the hall - but her path led up - until she was outside her father’s richly accommodated office. 

Her heart was pounding. She pushed it open. He was at his desk.

“Hello Asami. I’ve been expecting you.”

He was facing the window, the city glowing in the distance.

“Cut the bullshit, dad. I need answers, now.”

His voice took on a tone she didn’t recognize.

“An answer has a question, Asami.”

“Did you set the media on Korra, and stage her kidnapping? Are you the equalist conspirator?” “

She paused.

“Where is she?”

He quietly swiveled the chair around, meeting her gaze. She held it, staring him down for what felt like minutes - but was probably only a few seconds.

“What are you willing to do, to know?” 

Her hands balled into fists. 

“A lot.”

Hiroshi reached into a drawer and pulled out a single sheet of paper, sliding it across his large mahogany desk. 

“Sign that. Then I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

She approached the desk, picking up the paper.

_ I, Asami, daughter of Hiroshi Sato, do hereby disown Hiroshi Sato and the Sato family, from all inheritance and responsibility to my affairs, and disown myself from the Sato name. _

_ I also hereby renounce any claim I have to inheritance. _

_ I also hereby renounce my right to contact or involve myself willingly in affairs involving the Sato family, and agree to never contact Hiroshi Sato, Fuzhi Sato, or Hiroshi Sato jr, except under legal obligation. _

_ I declare this willingly and under no coercion, on this day, March 12th _

The day’s date was even correct.

“Give me a pen.”

She scribbled her name out on the dotted line, and slid the paper back to him.

“Now talk.”

Hiroshi silently opened a drawer, picking through some files. He said nothing.

“Who got the press in an uproar about my time with the Equalists?”

He still said nothing, putting the form away and closing the drawer.

“Talk, dammit! We had a deal!”

He finally looked at her, smiling sadly. 

“I did.”

Her heart raced.

“Why?”

“To lure her into your apartment so I could have her kidnapped.”

“So it was you. You were the equalist informer.”

“Of course it was me. But you knew that already, Asami.” 

Her hands shivered involuntarily.

“Where is she now?”

“Imprisoned, awaiting something very special.”

“Where?”

“I won’t tell you that. You’ll know soon enough.” His smile continued. She was breathing hard.

“But... why?”

“You’re smart, Asami. You always were. I’ve never had to teach you a thing. It’s a shame, really. Hazard a guess.”

“You’re bankrolling the Equalists...”

His smile widened.

“And if it comes to a civil war or rebellion, Kuvira will invade -  and you will have conspired with her. That’s what this is about. Your  _ market share _ . Running the council was never enough for you.”

He looked at her with… was it pride?

“Sharp as a knife. You always were my greatest creation, Asami. I would hate to see you squander my good work - so be a good  _ girl _ and stay away. Go back to your repair shop and become a nobody. Be with the Avatar - if you want - you can be nobodies together.”

Dread filled her.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see. It’s time for you to leave.”

Her mind was racing - but she had one question left. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what? All this?” He chuckled. 

“No. Tell me you wanted me gone. Why wait until now.”

He went quiet.

“You were like this ever since mom died, so tell me now. Right now!”

 

“Why didn’t you just say it? That you hated me.”

 

“You’re doing it, even now.”

“I…”

 

“I never hated you, Asami.”

“Then why?”

 

“Why!?”

He wouldn’t meet her eyes. 

“Look at me!”

 

“You bastard. You fucking bastard!”

The doors opened and two of Hiroshi’s guards stepped in, guiding Asami out. Their eyes were sympathetic, but their hands sure.

She was sobbing when she reached her car. 

_ Go back to your repair shop and become a nobody _

Her blood boiled. 

 

Hell the fuck no she wouldn’t.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) You know I wasn't gonna leave you hanging too long  
> 2) Thanks to my three loyal commenters. You know who you are  
> 3) 7 and 8 will come out back to back sometime midweek, probably.


	7. I'm Still Here, Asshole

With her apartment trashed, Asami went back to the repair shop instead. 

She had tried calling Tenzin from there. They wouldn’t put her through to him - and if he didn’t take her seriously, who would? It seemed like only Korra really trusted her.

_ And how did that work out for her? _

She stomped that voice in her head. She was going to fix things. 

But how?

She pulled out everything she had on Future Industries, having picked it all up from her apartment. Stolen papers were scattered across the shop floor. The radio was playing loud, to soothe her nerves. 

Anything she knew about the old Equalists was outdated, but finding empty Future Industries properties was kind of a specialty of hers. And if her father was helping Equalists under the table, she had an inkling as to why there always were always so many of such properties. Surely there was a clue here.

She identified too many empty buildings to learn anything conclusive. The shipping records for each building were nondescript - she needed a heuristic to get any further. Her father’s words echoed.

_ “You’ll know soon enough.” _

Know what? 

She had been asking herself that question for hours.

_ Know what? _

Something clicked.

_ That’s the wrong question.  _ She thought. How about -  _ know how? _

She turned back to the maps. There was an old factory, not officially used for years now, near the river bridge. It was the largest suspicious building in her list. 

She looked to the shipping records she had swiped - it had only received things, and in the past month alone. 

_ Parts - Nondescript. _

_ Personnel Equipment - Nondescript. _

“If I were a slimy bastard…” she said to herself “and I wanted to give a big performance, I would pick the biggest place and send everything I needed long in advance.”

She laid out the building plans.  _ This could work for hosting… the floor here would be where the audience stands, and the lift here could be the stage... _

She sat down on the concrete floor, thinking.

_ If this is the place, they won’t arrive until shortly before the event. They always were very secretive like that. But their members will be there... _

She tried to remember back to how they organized five years ago. They were always clandestine - giving notice of events only in cryptic messages. It was the first of many red flags at the time. 

They were paranoid too. It meant security was tight, but she could use that to her advantage. A plan started forming in her head. 

There was no way she could do this alone. 

_ But who will help me? _

-

Asami would admit; Mako was more Korra’s friend than hers. In fact, things were definitely still weird.  She was willing to risk it though - she knew he cared about his brother more than anyone else - he deserved in on this plan as much as she did. 

She knocked on the door to the bending brother’s loft at the stadium. She knew how to let herself in, of course, but they were past that moment. 

The door opened to reveal a groggy looking Mako, dark circles of worry and exhaustion under his eyes. It was late.

“Asami - what are you-”

“I need your help saving Korra and Bolin.”

His expression was unreadable. Finally, he opened the door.

“Okay. But coffee first.”

-

With the steaming beverage in his hands, Mako finally spoke,

“Alright, spit it out.”

“Equalists captured Korra too.”

“I know that.”

“I know where they’re going to be, I think.”

“Why haven’t you told the police?”

“I tried to tell Tenzin - he won’t listen to me. You think they will? Besides, they’re probably in on it.”

“Oh really? Or are you in on it?  There’s a warrant for your arrest right now.” Her eyes widened. He was yelling now.

“Why should I even trust you? You know how this all looks right?!”

Mako looked furious.

“And now my brother is out there - he could be dead!”

“I know you’re angry, and I know it looks bad, but I’m not an equalist conspirator.  I didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”

“Why didn’t you tell her?” 

“I… it’s complicated.”

“I won’t help unless you explain it to me.”

She looked into his eyes. Determination. Distrust.

“Fine.”

Her heart thumped as she formed the words. 

“When my mother was… killed by a bender, I joined them for a few months. I eventually saw how they were looking for a scapegoat to take all their anger out on, so I quit.”

She breathed out the guilt and frustration.

“I was ashamed of how I turned to bigotry in my pain, so I didn’t tell Korra.”

She met his eyes.

“It was a mistake.”

He seemed surprised, but pacified.

“Alright then. I believe you. How are we gonna fix this?”

“I have a plan.”

\- The next day -

Mako was sitting on the corner, watching traffic go by. As the less distinguishable person of the two of them, he was on watch duty. 

Asami needed time to prepare for the night - so she was back at the shop. She gave him instructions to return right away if the building address she gave him didn’t look suspicious.

He was expecting to have to return after an hour of watching, but suddenly it happened - folk were passing in and out of the building with various things - and they didn’t look like workers. He struggled to remain unseen. He counted maybe fifty people in the building so far. 

It was a factory of some sort - unmarked, but Asami told him it was Future Industries property. He wasn’t surprised, given the rest of the story she told.

He was starting to suspect her relationship with her father had come to a head, but she wouldn’t delve too much into it for him. That was all fine - he was more concerned with his brother and Korra. His brother was all the family he had.

Well, that wasn’t completely true anymore. Korra was becoming like a sister - between all those practices and the time they spent together. Mako always believed in choosing your own family anyway. 

On that subject, he peered at the building. He wanted to storm it right now, but Asami told him they might cancel the event if he did - or worse, capture him too. Anyway, she was certain neither of the captives were there yet.

He wanted, as a second possibility, to inform the police and bring them in, but Asami vetoed that.

_ “My father owns the police in this city - if you involve them, there’s no way this can remain secret. You have to trust me.” _

And strangely enough, he did. They talked more in the past day than in the past eight months - and she had surprised him a few times now. 

She had matured a lot. He wondered if he could say the same for himself. 

He set that aside for the task at hand. Activity at the building was picking up. More people were hanging around the area - waiting for something to happen.

He looked to the transponder Asami gave him.

_ “It will only work once - so use it only in an emergency or if the Equalist leadership arrives. That’s when we have to act.” _

The sun was setting soon - it couldn’t be too far off. Unless this was the wrong building, or a decoy. He shuddered at the thought, forcing himself to concentrate. 

_ I just have to trust Asami for now. _

At that moment, he heard the rumbling of trucks. A motorcade rumbled down the street, passing right by the alley he hid in. They stopped outside the factory.

His family was in those cars. He used the transponder.

-

Asami parked the jalopy on the decided upon street, a block away from the factory - and adjacent to the target building. Her car fit in with other surrounding industrial detritus - much like herself, she remarked. 

No doubt there were equalist eyes on her right now - they were bound to have sentries on the surrounding buildings. But this wasn’t the building they were protecting - so they wouldn’t bother her when she went in. It was all part of the plan…

\- Hours earlier -

“So, the factory in question...”

Asami gestured to a set of building plans laid out on the shop floor.

“Has undergone two renovations in the past. One was to modernize it, and the other was…”

She set out another plan.

“To add an annex. Now, this is a nearby building Future Industries integrated with the factory, so they’ll have to guard it as well, but…”

She set out yet another plan.

“What they won’t be guarding is a building across the way, which shared a sewage line with the annex.” 

Using the street map, she pointed out a building on the other side of a wide street in the industrial park.

“It was once a Future Industries building, when they built the whole park seven years ago - but they sold it off during the crash a year later. That was before the Equalists started operating, and if we’re lucky, my skeleton key will still work.”

Mako followed her every word.

“So what you’re saying is that we sneak through this other building, through the sewer tunnels and into the annex, then into the factory?”

“Precisely.”

He whistled.

“How did you find all this out?”

“I helped the PFR smuggle some refugees from the Earth Nation a few years ago. And a few other ventures. You pick up the skills.”

“Uh… Huh.”

He looked sort of pensive still.

“So how do you know they won’t be guarding the sewer entrance as well?”

“Well, I don’t. I don’t even know if this is the right building. We won’t find any of this out unless we try.”

Mako sighed and nodded.

“Alright, so how do we enter?”

\- Present moment -

Asami saw a figure in a coat - Mako - approaching on her side, as she pulled a long bag out of the car. He spoke in a low voice.

“What took you so long?”

She only shrugged and shouldered her bag and walked with him up to the building. She had a tattered coat covering her best infiltrating clothes.

Taking out the Future Industries master key (circa 2 years ago - the last one she could get her hands on) and praying it would work, she pressed it into the door. It clicked happily.

_ They need to change the locks _ \- She thought as she opened and gestured Mako to go inside. Any onlooker would only see a couple folks doing some late night business across the street - nothing suspicious at all - or so she hoped.

Following the floorplan she had memorized, she led her and Mako through the quiet building. It was dark - their flashlights illuminating dark halls and empty rooms. 

“You didn’t tell me this was a clinic.” Mako remarked as they passed an abandoned gurney.

“I… didn’t know it was.”

She continued walking, seeing various abandoned supplies, she spotted an old desk. Stepping up to it, she examined the ledger.

“They operated it years ago - a free clinic group, funded by the Metal Clan... it was for the workers at the factory…”

She read further.

“Spirits.”

Industrial accidents. Gruesome injuries. It made her want to puke.

No wonder they shut the factory down.

“Asami, we don’t have time for this,”

“Right.”

There was a terrible stench in the building - and Asami didn’t want to know what. 

They continued their descent, looking for the access port noted in the building plans. Sure enough, in the bowels of the building, they found it. A hatch and a ladder going down. As she opened it, a rush of humid, warm air hit her.

The bender and non bender reached the bottom and Asami consulted a compass. The sewer went off in three directions, but the correct one was easy enough to discern. She followed.

Between narrow walkways were canals of greywater - mostly rainwater and melted snow from the mountains, rushing through the city’s water system to the sea. They mixed it with the treated sewage and released  _ that _ to the ocean. Luckily, that was not the canal they came across.

Eventually there was another ladder, and luckily no guards. Asami checked the address at the ladder to be sure. It was the right one, so they begun to climb. 

Asami was out of breath when she reached the hatch, arms and legs burning. Mako followed coolly behind. 

They were getting closer.

-

“The factory entrance should be… here.” Asami was holding a blueprint.

Instead of a door, there was simply a wall. They had entered the annex building to find it like a construction zone, but mercifully empty.

“That’s funny, it should be here.”

“I don’t see a door.”

Asami felt a pit in her stomach. 

“It… Was it never built?”

“What are we going to do? How do we get in?”

Asami thought for a moment.

“We should be able to break it down - if they never finished the annex, there should be a storage room behind this wall.”

“How do we break it?”

“Can you burn it?”

“And start a fire?”

“Then I guess we have to break it the old fashion way.”

-

Minutes later, Asami had produced a sledgehammer from an adjacent room.

“I really don’t like this” Mako said. “What if they hear it?”

“Got any better ideas?”

“...No.”

“Then get behind me.”

She took the hammer to the wall, and it put a dent in the wood and thin concrete. It wasn’t that loud - but anyone near the other side would have no trouble hearing it.

“Come on spirits, or fate, or whatever. Let this happen.”

Asami slammed it again, the hammer’s head going through. She pulled it back - through the hole was only darkness. She breathed a sigh of relief. 

Minutes went by hammering - and they heard a roar of applause in the distance - time was running out. Mako took a turn and finally it was wide enough for Asami to squeeze through (she was tall  _ and _ thin). 

“Go! I’ll get through soon and follow. I remember the plan.” Mako commanded.

She nodded, pushing herself through the gap. It left a few bloody scrapes from the jagged concrete, but she was through. 

The room was dark - her flashlight illuminated old crates of who knows what. She moved quickly, entering the hallway, nearly being seen by an Equalist patrol. She hid for her life, making her way down as deep as possible. The event had already started - that meant Korra and Bolin would be on the stage any time.

As she crept through the bowels of the factory, she heard Amon’s voice from above.

“Now, my fellow non benders - we begin the revelation - I began my spirit journey long ago when my mother and father met their untimely demise…”

She paused to gag. The Equalists were  _ still _ a cult. Returning to the task at hand, she had finally found the breaker room. 

With any luck, Mako had already gotten into his position - she had to hope. She peered inside - no one. Good.

Entering and shutting the door behind her, she turned on the light to see…

Hundreds of fuses - and no labels.  _ Shit _ .

 

-

 

Korra had been coming in and out of consciousness since that encounter. She had an hour of lucid thought some time ago - but it was hard. They kept her drugged.

She had put together that there was a trap - and Asami was bait, unknowingly. Now she had been captured, and they were taking her to something. Some  _ Revelation _ . She had to escape.

But her lethargy gripped her too tightly. Her head was swimming. She needed water and an antidote to the poison. Her mouth was so dry…

She was tied to a pole, held upright. She felt people moving around her - their blood sloshing and flowing, their feet making taps through the floor. The sensations of the elements always gripped her when her eyes failed. She could hardly open them, but she knew she was being watched. There was someone speaking on a microphone. 

Korra urged herself to wake up - to do something. She managed to open one eye.

She was no longer in a cage, at least. Bolin was there too - to her side. There were others she didn’t recognize. Damn it. He looked so scared.

Their eyes met.

“Korra! You’re awake.”

“...Bolin?”

“We’re in some factory - the Equalists are up to something - I think we’re on a stage!”

“A… stage?”

“What should we do?”

She groaned. Her head was ringing. These damned Equalists - she wanted to get angry, to let her inner flame expand and melt the chains that held her - but she couldn’t muster the feeling. She just wanted to sleep.

Suddenly, the stage shuddered, and started lifting. Blinding light struck them all as there was suddenly a crowd of thousands, and some figures approaching them. 

A man in a mask. She felt his blood flowing - confident, relaxed. His heart beat. She reached out to the feeling, for something to grasp - but nothing happened. 

_ Useless _ . Her chest filled with dread - cold. Something bad was about to happen.

“Today, brothers and sisters - we make history. Today - the Avatar will be no more. I will take her bending -  _ away _ !”

The crowd roared. She could feel the truth of his words, and her fear rising, overriding the poison. 

He approached, speaking in a lower voice to her.

“It’s a shame really. You seem to know what you’re doing. Perhaps you will have a place in my new world.”

He reached out his arm to her forehead - but at that moment, Korra felt another element. Electricity - a buzz she hadn’t even noticed was there - was suddenly gone. All the lights went out went out. 

She felt Amon’s heartbeat quicken. He paused. She was so afraid - she couldn’t lose now. This was her chance. Adrenaline was rushing to her head, bringing strength back to her limbs.

She struggled against the chain. It was platinum. She felt her inner flame, and willed it to grow. The metal started heating up. 

Amon addressed the crowd in a yell.

“Everyone remain calm. We have a backup power system. It will only be a moment.”

Korra kept heating the chains. They were so hot - burning her wrists, even though she was heating the base of the chain. Her eyes were adjusting - it was glowing bright red.

“Up to something, Avatar?”

She saw Amon illuminated in the light in front of her - a dull red spectre in the dark. He stretched out his hand to her forehead again. His thumb was cold. She pushed her flame hotter- burning his hand, but it stayed. His other hand moved to her chest. Her heart beat like wildfire. 

“Not so fast.”

Suddenly the lights went back on, and there was someone else on the stage.

“Asami!” Bolin yelled. Korra’s eyes widened as the other woman shoved Amon back. She stood between him and her.

“You’ll have to go through me first, you masked bastard.”

At that moment, there was an explosion off to stage left. Jets of steam rushed out over the crowd - and panic spread - screams of surprise. Korra redoubled her efforts to get through the chain.

Amon surveyed the scene before turning back to Korra and Asami. He motioned to his equalist guards, and they loomed on either edge of the stage. 

“Ah, Hiroshi’s girl. He said you might be a problem.” Amon said in a low voice. “His assistance for our cause was always so full of… contradictions.”

“Asami…” Korra murmured, trying to muster her strength. “Get out of here…”

She stood resolute between them.

“It’s a pity. You were once one of us.”

“Fuck you.” she returned. 

He approached. She moved to intercept, and he backhanded her, throwing her to the ground. She was up in a moment, still between him and Korra. 

She went for a kick but he caught her leg and flipped her, slamming her face against the floor. She lay prone. He kicked her over.

“Asami!” Korra yelled, feeling the chain start to buckle.

“You’re no fighter.” Amon drawled. He leaned down near her, talking quietly. “Just a stupid girl who doesn’t know her place - or when to quit.”

She struggled to move, but his foot was squarely on her chest, holding her down. She finally paused.

“Sure about that?”

In that moment, she produced a hidden taser, driving it into Amon’s unarmored leg, holding it in place. 

“Now!” she yelled.

The man jerked back, starting to shake, but Asami held onto him through his tremors, as the taser shocked him. A second passed before he collapsed. 

At the same moment, arcs of fire struck the surrounding equalists, driving them back, as Mako emerged from the ruptured steam pipe. 

“Mako! Asami!” Bolin yelled. “Boy am I glad to see you both.”

Mako threw Asami bolt cutters, and she immediately went over to Korra.

“You came for me…” Korra said.

“Yeah.” She replied as she easily snipped the hot platinum, and soon she pulled the chains off, gloves smoking, grimacing at the burns on Korra’s wrists. She helped the disoriented girl to her feet, but another Equalist agent emerged from behind.

A wide-eyed Korra came to her rescue, sending incoherent jets of blue flame at her assailants. Asami felt them fly by, warming her face. 

Mako continued to unleash bolts of flame at the equalists, who were all trying to recover their leader, Amon. The roar from the crowds was dying down as they all left the building - but that also meant they didn’t have long before more Equalists arrived. 

They pulled him off stage - Amon was still collapsed - and he finally got to his brother, cutting his ropes with a quick flame.

“Thanks bro, we were pretty close to disaster there. So what’s the plan?” Bolin was smiling through the chaos.

“We get out of here.” He returned.

“Good plan!” 

Asami scooped up Korra. Her nose was bloodied, but she looked defiant. A group of equalists hopped onto the other side of the stage - there were twice as many as before.

“We’d better do that now then!”

-

“Thanks for coming for me.” Korra spoke to Asami, quiet enough only for her to hear, a little smile on her face. The taller girl was carrying Korra in her arms.

The four were rushing through corridors now, Equalists a corner behind. 

Mako carried the rear, sending arcs of flame at any pursuers - who were staying just out of fireblast range, but following diligently. Asami piloted their way through the maze. 

“Asami, I think this is a plan B escape scenario!” Mako yelled between shooting fireballs.

“You don’t say!” She returned. Her arms were getting tired, but Korra didn’t seem ready to walk yet. Seeing what they did to her made Asami’s blood boil.

They reached a dead end.

“They didn’t build a door here.” she exclaimed. “Bolin, I need you to break this wall down.”

“Can do!” 

He delivered a punch to the wall, bursting it down and revealing another room behind it. 

“Plan B-oh-lin!”

-

They managed to make their way out across the street. Unfortunately, there were more equalists - both behind them and up the street. There was an armored car blocking one end. They were so close.

The team reached Asami’s car to see its tires slashed and engine strewn about the street.

“No!” Mako yelled. “How do we get out of here?”

Asami helped Korra lean against the now defunct jalopy. She looked tired and worried, but Asami gave her a wink.

“That’s why I brought my secret weapon.”

She pulled the canvas off of her trailer to reveal… the Asamobile. The plane’s wings were folded up, and it was hooked to the jalopy. It was all in one piece, luckily. No doubt the equalists didn’t think it was any threat.

_ I’d probably agree, but I hope they’re wrong. _

“I need a couple minutes. Can you two hold them off?”

She turned to Mako and Bolin. They nodded.

As the Equalist agents approached, the two used their bending to try to keep them away. They closed the distance quickly though, and the brothers were quickly being overwhelmed. 

Korra stirred, finding her strength.

“Get back you two.”

“Korra?”

She went through the strong motions of a firebending form, and a stream of blue fire leapt at the approaching Equalists. Mako and Bolin got out of the way just in time, each with a couple limbs each numbed by their attacks. 

Her fire grew in intensity and pressure as the wind shifted, drawing more oxygen to the flames, and it widened, until the jet threw intense fire onto the entire street, driving their assailants back.

“Whoa.” Mako said. The Avatar’s bending was nothing to trifle with. They took the moment of respite as Korra kept their enemies at bay.

-

Asami unhitched the plane and deployed the wings, facing the contraption roughly down the street,  _ away _ from the Equalists. It was a short runway, but it would have to do.

The firestorm and associated smoke gave them some cover, and she quickly ran through engine checks. She pulled the engine cord. Nothing.

“Shit.”

She leaned out over and spun the propeller by hand, pulling the cord. Nothing again. 

“Asami, problem?” Mako yelled.

The Equalists had set up a perimeter down the street. Only Korra’s devastating fire jets were preventing them from approaching. 

“Come on you hunk of junk.”

Some metallic figures stepped through the flames. They were walking metal contraptions with claws and shock cannons. Korra’s fire was no good against them. They approached, closer and closer.

“Asami!” Korra yelled. 

She pulled it again, spinning the propeller at the same time - and it finally roared to life.

“Alright! Hope on, kids!”

She revved the engine while putting her finger on the rocket booster switch. Korra hopped in right behind her and the bending brothers held onto the wings. The mecha-tanks loomed only meters away now.

“Now or never Asami” Mako yelled. 

She pushed the rocket boosters and the plane fired down the street away from the mecha tanks and towards the murky waters of Yue Bay.

“Mako, Korra, I need a boost - Bolin, a ramp at the end of the street before we hit the water.”

Mako obliged, sending jets of fire behind them. Korra joined, and the craft lurched forwards. The speed kept going up - ten meters per second, twenty... and Asami revved the engine, hoping it would be enough. 

The stone ramp formed and the craft took off over the bay. It held its path, gliding through the air, still picking up speed.

It wouldn’t be enough. Water was below them - they started to lose altitude. Asami, with the rocket boosters dropped also the landing gear, toolbox, and windshield. 

“Uh, were we going to need those?” Bolin asked as they fell off below. 

“Less talking more boosting!”

Korra and Mako gave the plane another fiery boost as it finally sped up to proper flying speed. 

“We’re good.” she finally said, twenty seconds later. The wind was high - and there was little room in the cockpit. Mako and Bolin were hanging onto the wings for dear life (luckily she had installed hand and feet holds). 

“What now?” Mako yelled over the roar of the engine. 

“We have to make a water landing near Air Temple Island.” Asami said. 

-

It took a few minutes to get from one side of the bay to the other. The plane was fast. During those minutes, Korra held her wordlessly. It seemed nothing needed to be said. She felt warm, despite the rushing freezing air.

-

They came down low over the water, as slow as the gliding thing could go without dropping right in. It was still dangerously fast. The floodlight was reflecting off the water - it was close. She locked in the controls and held Korra’s hand. 

Korra bent a wave to try to match speed, and with a hand squeeze and a deep breath, the four jumped. The plane sailed onwards as they hit the water. The icy swell was like a slap to the whole body, but the pain meant they had survived. She felt Korra’s hand through the chaos.

Head bursting out of the water, Asami turned just in time to see the plane hit the water - sent into a roll, torn apart by its own momentum and the sea. 

_ Rest in pieces, thesis. _

\- Minutes later -

Korra collapsed onto the sand, coughing up seawater. Her hands were shivering, but her chest felt warm. Alongside her, Asami was crawling out of the surf as well. Mako and Bolin followed behind. 

She felt herself relax for the first time in dozens of hours of poisoned confusion.  The poison was almost all gone, but it had left in its wake exhaustion. But she was finally safe. 

Asami grabbed her hands. She smiled at her. 

The last thing she saw before passing out was an orange figure approaching. 

_ Aang? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Apologies for the delay, but due to the length of #7, #8 will be delayed a few days.  
> 2) This is a largely action chapter in a mostly intrigue/social fic, so I fear the quality is not as high as it might have been regularly. It's also very long, because writing succinct action is hard. Still, I hope it satisfies.  
> 3) Thank you to all who read and left comments or kudos, especially to those offering questions and constructive criticism, as they are much appreciated.


	8. Epilogue

The first thing Asami noticed were soft snores. She opened her eyes. 

She was in an unfamiliar bed - in a traditional room. The windows revealed a hazy pink dawn.There was a slight breeze through the building - and it was quiet except for the roar of waves.

_ Air Temple Island _

The last night came back to her. She was sore from the running, climbing, fighting. Her nose hurt. She rolled over to see Korra in the room too.

She was slumped asleep in a chair, book laid open in her lap. She looked serene in that slumber - it was the first time in a while her girlfriend seemed truly calm.

Asami laid back in her bed, savoring the moment. Who knows how many more peaceful moments they would get?

Finally, she quietly stood and took a spare blanket, covering Korra’s shoulders. Then, she stepped outside the room.

She had a look around. This was Councilman Tenzin’s home - and Avatar Aang’s, once. The building was old, but well maintained. Barefoot, she stepped out onto the terrace, sitting to watch the sunrise over the city.  

She heard a footstep beside her.

“The sunrise is pretty nice here.” Korra started, sitting next to her, blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. She was smiling.

“Yeah…”

With everything that had happened, she wasn’t sure how to get back to normal with Korra. So they sat for a few minutes looking across the bay. Asami thought about what to say. Finally -

“I’m sorry th-” “I’m sorry ab-” 

They started at the same time.

“Err, you first.” Korra said, still smiling.

Any dread she had was fading.

“Okay. I’m… sorry for not telling you about the equalist thing. I left it out because I was ashamed of it. It backfired, and that was my fault.”

She looked to Korra, who nodded.

“Asami, I was so relieved to see you again. I was so afraid last night. And I’m sorry too. The press played me like a fool - turning me against you. We planned for it, warned each other, and I still fell for it.”

She shook her head. 

“But you fixed it, Asami. Saved us - maybe even prevented a war.”

Asami snorted. Korra reached out and grasped her hands, holding them to her chest. 

“So the way I see it, you have nothing to apologize for. You amazed me.”

“Korra…”

The Avatar just leaned in close to her. She could feel Korra’s breath. 

“Shut up and kiss me you dummy.”

She kissed her, and they kissed as the horizon erupted in the pinky orange sunrise.

-

Breakfast that morning at Air Temple Island was a busy affair. When Korra and Asami arrived hand in hand, they were greeted by Bolin and Tenzin’s younger children stuffing their faces with vegetables and rice, Tenzin reading a newspaper, mirrored by Jinora with a scroll, and Mako helping Pema clean up a mess. 

“Uh, morning folks.” Korra started.

“Korra!” Ikki yelled.

“I’ve been meeting your friend Bolin and did you know he can eat rice twice as fast as Meelo which is pretty impressive considering that Meelo is still growing and Bolin is full sized. Did you know that?”

“Err… yes.”

Ikki seemed to notice Asami.

“Hey, is this Asami?” she asked, turning to Korra. “That girl you’re totally crazy about?”

Korra and Asami shared a glance.

“Yes?” Korra responded.

“Cool.”

“Come now, Ikki, let them eat. They have a big day today.” Tenzin said, folding up his newspaper. 

Bolin and Meelo were mock arm wrestling now, Meelo having the clear upper hand. 

Mako sat beside Korra as they helped themselves to the simple food he and Pema had made for that morning.

“So, this is where you’ve been living this whole time?” he started.

“Yeah, Air Temple Island is quite a place.”

“It’s pretty nice.”

The table was quiet again for a few minutes at they all ate. 

“So… how about that rescue?” Bolin started. “That was some good thinking from you both - Mako, Asami. Who woulda knew that you two would uh…” He saw his brothers raised eyebrow. “work together… I’ll stop talking now.”

“Actually, it was all Asami’s idea, for the most part.” Mako admitted.

Korra put her arm around Asami, grinning. “That’s my girl!”

Asami, for her part, smiled sheepishly. 

“It was a foolish plan to go alone…” Tenzin started. “Which is why I regret not trusting you. I fear what would have happened if you had not acted as you did. From what Korra told me of the situation, it sounded very dire.”

“I was just, uh, thinking about Korra and Bolin.”

“I know you were. Now, we need to talk about what will happen next. My island is a sanctuary, but as soon as you leave, Lin Beifong will probably arrest you.”

“Really? You don’t think she’d drop it after we got Korra back?”

“It’s more than that. You should look at this.”

He handed her the paper. Her blood went cold at the headlines.

_ ‘Hiroshi Sato Arrested for Equalist Conspiracy - Secret Informant Reveals All!’ _

_ ‘Firestorm at Secret Equalist Rally - Rumors of Avatar Involvement’ _

Asami started scanning the article.

“I didn’t take anything to the press.”

Tenzin blinked. “Well… who else could it be?”

-

They spotted the police at the dock, and each were filled with dread, but as Asami stepped off the ferry, the armored police produced a form instead of cuffs.

“What’s this?”

Lin Beifong was there. “Court summons. You’re a witness.”

The police presented similar forms to Tenzin and Korra.

“I was here this morning to arrest you for kidnapping and libel, but your stepmother Fuzhi Sato came forward just before I left, with a mountain of evidence. She was the leaker, apparently.”

“So… I’m not in trouble?”

“Not yet.” Lin then turned to Korra. “It’s good to have you back in one piece, Avatar. We’re gonna need all the help we can get after this.”

She and her officers left after that.

“Did I get on her good side?” Korra wondered aloud. “Must have done something wrong.”

Asami was only relieved. She looked at the court summons.

She would be a witness to her father’s prosecution. How poetically dreadful. 

Korra was beside her. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll get through it.”

Asami nodded.

“Well then,” Tenzin said, rolling up his own summons and tucking it away. “I believe we still have a press conference to give.”

 

\- Weeks later -

 

Things had calmed down a bit after that. The Equalists were quiet - regrouping. The Fire Ferrets went back to practicing, the championship ante being forwarded by Fire Lord Izumi (of all people). There was “no cache” of course. 

And war didn’t break out, at least not immediately, and that was enough for Asami.

Things went back to normal - if there ever was such a thing. Korra finally had some time to continue training in her airbending, and Asami started on the Asamobile Mk. 2, this time having Korra help her form the chassis out of metalbent scrap.  

Asami was moonlighting as a political aide to the Avatar - which kept her pretty busy, but there was still one thing she wanted to do, and so in a rare moment of downtime, she called some friends about a little get together, and one night in March it finally came together.

It was on the more [relatively] posh end of Dragon Flats - a house with the sound of music instruments being tuned. Pink, blue and white flags hung in the windows - and light streamed out into the late winter night. 

Asami was leading Korra up the street towards this house. She wore her regular patched jacket, and Korra had her favorite water tribe coat. Snow was piled on both sides of the street.

“Are you sure it won’t be weird? I mean, I’m like a weird public official. I - I’m not sure I’m prepared.”

Korra asking for assurances seemed out of place, but it wasn’t the first time that night.

“You’ll do fine. You’re amazing.” Asami said in response, radiating calm. 

She stopped in the street.

“I mean, I’ve been publicly out as trans for what, a few weeks? I don’t know if it would be  _ appropriate _ …”

“Listen, Korra, you’re humble, we get it, but this isn’t a political gig - it’s just a get together, no one needs you to have everything figured out.”

Korra scratched her head sheepishly, smiling. “Guess I’m too used to politics.”

They began walking again, more slowly, holding hands.

“Just a few people, you said?”

“Yeah.”

Korra took a deep breath, her breath turning to vapor as it left her mouth, like a big puff in the cold.

“Okay, just, be myself.” She muttered to herself.

They reached the entrance to the house. Stepping up to the entrance, Asami squeezed Korra’s hand, taking the door handle with the other.

She opened it to reveal the beginnings of music, a rush of warm air, and dozens of curious queer and trans faces looking up to see who that might be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Thank you all for coming on this journey with me, to everyone who read, bookmarked, left kudos or comments. 
> 
> Truth be told, I didn't really think about what I would do when I got to this point. So let me know, do you want to see a sequel? Did you like the mixture of politics, romance, and action? What intrigued you, what would you like to see expanded upon? What worked? What didn't? IDK, let me hear your thoughts.


End file.
